Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 707: Destiny

The blue-robed sword cultivator's eyes flickered with a deep sense of dread.

Young Master Jin's expression was even darker, as though ink had been spilled across his face.

In the Qianxue Prefecture, within the Dao Judiciary, one of the third-grade Adjudicators… Gu Changhuai.

A Golden Core early-stage cultivator.

Outside the tavern, Gu Changhuai stood tall and proud. Even dressed in coarse clothing, he exuded an extraordinary presence.

Brilliant wind blades, like dazzling peacock feathers, swirled around him. The thick and unrestrained Golden Core aura around him gave off a faint pressure.

Young Master Jin frowned, paused to think, then narrowed his eyes and asked with barely concealed anger:

"Gu Changhuai… Was all of this… your trap?"

Gu Changhuai remained calm, though there was a trace of confusion in his heart.

He genuinely didn't know which "trap" the man was referring to.

But as someone naturally proud and aloof, he couldn't be bothered to explain—especially not to a corrupt brat from a noble clan. He couldn't care less what they thought.

He merely said flatly:

"Are you going to surrender peacefully, or shall I cripple you first, bind you with a Spirit-Locking Chain, and throw you into the Dao Prison?"

Young Master Jin sneered without fear.

"Adjudicator Gu, on what grounds are you arresting us?"

Gu Changhuai replied coldly:

"You said it yourself—trafficking cultivators, committing murder, refining human pills… Any one of those crimes is enough to have you thrown into the Dao Prison to suffer a hundred tortures."

Young Master Jin chuckled:

"Oh, I was just talking nonsense to scare the little brat… Words alone mean nothing. Surely you wouldn't wrongfully accuse an innocent man?"

Gu Changhuai's lips curled in mockery:

"You're not even worthy to be called human, and you have the gall to call yourself 'innocent'?"

Jin's face darkened.

"Mind your words, Adjudicator!"

Gu Changhuai pointed at his storage pouch.

"Don't think I don't know. The human pills are still on you. Now that we've got both the criminal and the contraband, how are you going to deny it?"

Jin casually tossed his pouch to the ground, feigning innocence: "Adjudicator Gu, I don't know what you're talking about. Human pills? Where? I don't see any."

Gu Changhuai's gaze sharpened.

Young Master Jin pointed at the pouch containing the pills and smiled:

"Surely you're not claiming this pouch contains human pills? Even if it does, how should I know?"

He then pointed at Guo Jianglong, lips curled in ridicule: "That fisherman cultivator offered to sell me some 'fine pills.' I got curious and came to take a look. How was I supposed to know what he was selling?"

Guo Jianglong's face turned pale.

Jin smiled again and added:

"Perhaps this lowly worm was acting under someone's orders, trying to frame me?"

He turned toward Gu Changhuai with a mocking glint in his eyes:

"Wouldn't you say so, Adjudicator?"

Gu Changhuai didn't get angry. He simply nodded and said casually:

"You make a fair point. In that case, come with me to the Dao Judiciary. We'll investigate, and if you're innocent, I'll let you go."

"This has nothing to do with me."

"Whether it does or not, we'll settle it at the Dao Judiciary."

"Those pills aren't mine."

"You touched them. That's enough to involve cause and effect. Let's talk it out at the Dao Judiciary."

"I already said—I was just spouting nonsense earlier—"

"But you said it. And that means we'll have to verify. To the Dao Judiciary."

Gu Changhuai was completely unmoved.

No matter how Young Master Jin argued, Gu Changhuai's response was always the same: "Let's discuss it at the Dao Judiciary."

Totally impartial, completely by the book.

Jin eventually went silent, his expression growing grim.

"Go to the Dao Judiciary and explain?"

Explain his ass.

Once he stepped into the Dao Judiciary, he would lose all control over the situation.

Even if he didn't die, he'd be flayed alive through endless punishment.

Especially since high-ranking adjudicators had access to Karmic Law Sigils.

Once you said something—or did something—there'd be no denying it.

Out here he could bluff. But in there? No chance.

Young Master Jin gritted his teeth. This Gu Changhuai was damn ruthless. He didn't argue or get pulled into debate. He was only focused on dragging Jin into the Dao Judiciary. And once that happened, Jin would be a slab of meat on the butcher's table.

The blue-robed sword cultivator beside him spoke gravely: "Adjudicator Gu, Young Master Jin has noble status. Is it really appropriate to drag him into the Dao Judiciary?"

Gu Changhuai gave him a sideways glance.

"It's fine. You're coming too."

The sword cultivator froze.

Gu Changhuai's expression was stone-cold: "Xie Liu, inner sect instructor of the Water Dao Sect. Today, right in front of me, you tried to kill a cultivator of the Gu Clan, an officer of the Dao Judiciary, and…"

He glanced at Mo Hua.

"…a weak and defenseless little disciple of the Great Void Sect."

Mo Hua pouted. He did not appreciate being called "defenseless."

Xie Liu—now clearly identified—kept a frosty expression. His eyes gleamed with cold light.

He and Gu Changhuai locked gazes, but Gu Changhuai remained unfazed.

Xie Liu gave a stiff, fake smile:

"So, Adjudicator Gu… you recognize me."

Gu Changhuai smiled faintly:

"Of course. How else could I call you a beast so confidently?"

Xie Liu's face twitched. His eyes turned sharp. But inwardly, a chill ran down his spine.

So… he's been watching me.

Since when?

Young Master Jin also sensed the situation was going south. He gave Xie Liu a subtle glance.

Xie Liu understood and gave a dry chuckle:

"Adjudicator Gu, surely this is just a case of framing? Is this not an excuse to pin charges on us?"

Gu Changhuai responded calmly:

"Oh? Are you accusing me of fabricating crimes now? That's slander against a Dao Judiciary Adjudicator. That's an extra charge."

Xie Liu frowned. He realized that in terms of rhetoric, he couldn't win against this official.

He formed a grip in the air. A longsword manifested in his hand.

His natal artifact —the Gui-water Sword. A signature weapon of the Water Dao Sect.

Gu Changhuai's brow arched slightly.

"So… you're resisting arrest?"

Xie Liu sneered:

"I may be nothing special, but I'm still an inner sect instructor of the Water Dao Sect. Since you're trying to frame me, I'll have to clear my name with my sword."

Gu Changhuai nodded thoughtfully:

"Ah, I see. Attempted murder, and resisting arrest. Charges confirmed."

Xie Liu's expression soured. Typical Dao Judiciary—master of legal entrapment.

Young Master Jin grew impatient and said to Xie Liu:

"Cut the nonsense. Let's break out of here."

As long as they weren't caught on the spot, they could flee to their sect or clan and lay low.

He didn't believe the Dao Judiciary really dared to clash with the Jin Clan or the Broken Gold Sect.

Xie Liu's gaze grew colder. He raised the Guiwater Sword, sword Qi swirling around him.

"Adjudicator Gu. You and I are evenly matched in cultivation. Let's see whether your Gu Clan's Dao arts can best my Water Dao Sect swordsmanship!"

He poured his spiritual power into the sword— transforming it into a dark, venomous wave of sword Qi. Then stabbed forward with deadly precision— straight at Gu Changhuai's chest.

Gu Changhuai raised a hand and summoned a peacock-feather-like shield of wind.

The sword Qi slammed into the shield— For a moment, they clashed.

Then the Guiwater sword Qi shredded through the wind blades, tore apart the barrier, and streaked toward his chest.

Gu Changhuai twisted his body slightly, dodging the vital spot.

The sword Qi cut across his arm, leaving a bloody gash.

Young Master Jin scoffed.

"So much for Gu Clan Dao arts."

Xie Liu looked smug— Until a second later, his expression changed.

Something felt… off.

Gu Changhuai looked at the wound on his arm, nodded, and calmly said:

"Assaulting a Dao Judiciary Adjudicator. This is your own doing. Now we have direct evidence."

He then sprinkled some medicinal powder on the wound— Not to stop the bleeding, but to keep it bleeding as physical proof.

Because Xie Liu's previous attacks on Gu An, Gu Quan, and Mo Hua lacked solid evidence…

But now, attacking a Golden Core Adjudicator?

Undeniable.

Xie Liu's face turned hideous with rage.

He never expected this cold, proud adjudicator to play so dirty.

With a flick of his hand, Gu Changhuai summoned a radiant, glowing treasure fan— its power pulsing with spiritual light.

The Seven-Colored Peacock Feather Treasure Fan— An heirloom treasure of the Gu family.

At the same time, Gu Changhuai's dantian ignited with a fiery glow.

A fine radiance cloaked his body like a soaring azure phoenix spreading its wings, a peacock displaying its magnificent tail feathers.

Behind him, a dazzling array of wind-blade wings appeared, feather upon feather in perfect order, exquisitely beautiful.

Using the Gu family's heirloom supreme treasure—the Seven-Colored Peacock Feather Fan—he activated the clan's revered high-grade Dao technique: Ling Feng Hua Yu Jue (Soaring Wind Feather Transmutation).

For a moment, Gu Changhuai looked like an exiled immortal phoenix, extraordinarily handsome, his spiritual power overwhelming.

Xie Liu's face instantly went pale.

He poured all his strength into the Guiwater Sword Qi, pushing it to the limit, determined to settle the fight with Gu Changhuai.

But with just a flick of a finger, Gu Changhuai's Seven-Colored Peacock Feather Fan blazed brilliantly. The feather blades created by Ling Feng Hua Yu Jue burst forth with a colorful, elegant killing intent.

In an instant, it was like the phoenix flapping its wings.

All the feather blades condensed into a magnificent hurricane, sweeping toward Xie Liu.

Xie Liu had nowhere to dodge.

In a single exchange, his sword light was shredded, and the sword Qi was instantly swallowed up.

The Guiwater Sword in his hand faded and dimmed after only a moment.

Then Xie Liu's entire body was wrapped in wind blades.

Threads of wind-type spiritual energy crept like maggots under skin, silently laced with deadly intent—dissolving his spirit power and flesh.

The entire tavern shook from the Dao technique's effect; all tables, chairs, and fences turned to dust.

When the technique ceased and the wind blades dispersed, Xie Liu knelt, battered and bloodied, eyes filled with despair.

He couldn't understand why—both were Golden Core early stage—but the power gap was so huge...

He was no match at all for this Gu Changhuai!

Mo Hua stood nearby, stunned.

He knew Uncle Gu was strong, but hadn't imagined that free from cultivation limits, wielding Golden Core power, a natal treasure, and supreme Golden Core-grade Dao arts, Uncle Gu would be this formidable.

Both flashy and powerful!

Gu Changhuai's status soared in Mo Hua's eyes.

Meanwhile, Young Master Jin and his group realized things were going south the moment Gu Changhuai acted—they already wanted to run. But they were still in disbelief.

Xie Liu was an inner sect instructor of the Water Dao Sect, with decent cultivation and Dao arts—how did he fall so fast?

This Gu Changhuai was truly a formidable enemy!

Young Master Jin's heart went cold and he quickly ordered:

"Retreat! Whoever can get away, do it—go back to the sect and bring reinforcements to stop Gu Changhuai."

As long as they avoided capture by the Dao Judiciary, everything else could be talked over later.

In an instant, the four of them turned into golden light and fled into the distance.

Gu Changhuai had just used a supreme Dao technique to suppress Golden Core Xie Liu, so his spiritual power wasn't fully recovered and he was a little stretched thin.

But Mo Hua clearly wasn't going to let them escape.

His divine sense locked on, fingers tapping rapidly—blue light flickered as one after another Water Prison techniques restrained the fleeing Young Master Jin and company.

Late Foundation cultivators Gu An and Gu Quan caught up without hesitation, cutting their legs to cripple them, then binding them with Spirit-Locking Chains.

Despite struggling for a few rounds, the group couldn't escape with Mo Hua watching closely.

On the other side, Xie Liu was caught by Gu Changhuai, bound with third-grade Spirit-Locking Chains on both body and meridians.

At last, the dust settled—the entire group of Young Master Jin and company were captured.

After collecting evidence and confiscating their storage pouches, Gu Changhuai prepared to escort them to the Dao Prison.

Suddenly, Young Master Jin hissed through gritted teeth: "Gu Changhuai!"

Gu Changhuai glanced at him coolly.

Bound and pressed to the ground, Young Master Jin sneered: "Do you know who I am?"

Gu Changhuai answered indifferently: "No matter who you are, break the Dao laws, you go to Dao Prison."

"Bah!" Jin cursed. "Playing the righteous act with me?"

"Dao laws are for the lowly—noble families and wandering cultivators can't be lumped under the same rules!"

Gu Changhuai's eyes turned ice-cold.

Young Master Jin sneered back: "Who do you think I am?"

"My ancestor was the Broken Gold Sect's Sect Leader 800 years ago. My grandfather is the current Grand Elder, my father the Deputy Sect Leader, and my mother a True Transmission Elder…"

"Half of the Broken Gold Sect's top twelve streams in Qianxue Prefecture belong to my Jin family."

"I advise you to watch yourself— don't make a big mess. Otherwise, even as an adjudicator, you won't walk away unscathed!"

His arrogance was through the roof.

Gu Changhuai raised an eyebrow, stepped forward, and planted his foot on Young Master Jin's face.

His expression in that moment was even more arrogant than Jin's.

"You're just a Foundation cultivator threatening a Golden Core?"

"A sect disciple threatening a Dao Judiciary adjudicator?"

"Your Jin family is noble. So is my Gu family."

Pressing down hard, Gu Changhuai shoved Jin's face into the mud and sneered coldly:

"See? No matter who it is, when crushed beneath someone's feet, it's all the same. You look down on others as lowly scum, but in their eyes, you're just as filthy."

Young Master Jin felt his pride utterly crushed beneath Gu Changhuai's boot.

Eyes bloodshot, he shouted hoarsely: "Gu Changhuai!"

"One day, you'll get what you deserve!"

"I'll make sure you suffer eternal torment! I'll—"

Gu Changhuai sneered and kicked him unconscious.

Like dragging a dead pig, he tossed Young Master Jin to Gu An.

"Take him back."

"Yes," Gu An acknowledged and restrained Jin.

Mo Hua was a bit worried and quietly asked: "Uncle Gu, you humiliated him so much—won't he come after you later?"

Gu Changhuai's face remained expressionless: "I've been hated by many. If I feared such things, how could I be an adjudicator?"

"Oh…"

Mo Hua was suddenly filled with respect.

Indeed, one cannot judge a book by its flashy cover. Uncle Gu's swagger hides a backbone of steel.

Gu Changhuai looked at Mo Hua and suddenly frowned.

"Why are you here?"

Mo Hua simply said:

"I destroyed a human trafficking base in the fishing village, caught Guo Jianglong, found out they were trafficking cultivators and refining human pills. So I had Guo Jianglong deliver the pills. We followed, trying to trace the chain and find who they met with—and that led us here…"

Gu Changhuai was surprised.

He hadn't expected Mo Hua's investigation to progress so quickly.

Commanding Gu An and the others was smooth, like a "junior adjudicator" of the Dao Judiciary.

Still, it was a bit dangerous…

Gu Changhuai frowned: "Be careful next time. This is a third-grade jurisdiction. Golden Core criminals appear here. Golden Core cultivators are a whole realm above your Foundation early stage. One slip, and you'll lose your life."

"Mm-hmm."

Mo Hua didn't say much, just nodded obediently.

Gu Changhuai paused suddenly and asked: "Did you know I was here all along? That's why you were so bold?"

Gu Changhuai recalled how he had disguised himself with a bamboo hat, quietly drinking outside the tavern when Mo Hua happened to pass by.

At that moment, Mo Hua had given him a meaningful glance, lingering for just a moment as if seeing through something.

Then when Mo Hua entered the tavern, he walked with his chest out and head held high, clearly more confident.

Mo Hua vehemently denied this, praising instead:

"No way, Uncle Gu—you disguised yourself perfectly. There's no way I could recognize you."

Gu Changhuai snorted softly.

Mo Hua thought for a moment and asked again, "By the way, Uncle Gu, how did you come to be here?"

Gu Changhuai considered briefly and shared only what he could:

"The human traffickers have been under Dao Judiciary surveillance for a long time. We had some leads and were keeping watch on certain people."

"This Xie Liu from the Water Dao Sect was one of them."

"As for this Young Master Jin, you told me about him that day, so I kept an eye out."

"In recent days, Xie Liu and this Young Master Jin seemed to be meeting. It struck me as suspicious, so I came personally to check…"

Gu Changhuai sighed softly.

He had indeed arrived early, wearing a bamboo hat, drinking outside for quite some time.

But lacking concrete evidence, he could only watch and not act.

He hadn't expected that in a blink, Mo Hua and Gu An, Gu Quan would follow Guo Jianglong to the tavern.

Then, right before his eyes, the criminal Guo Jianglong dealt prohibited pills with Young Master Jin.

Young Master Jin didn't just accept the human pills—he even bragged about "trafficking cultivators, causing death, and privately refining forbidden pills."

Xie Liu had even tried to kill to silence them.

Suddenly, Gu Changhuai had all the "handles" he needed to arrest them.

He could hardly believe it.

The opportunity was rare, and he took it to seal the evidence and capture Young Master Jin and his group in one fell swoop.

Gu Changhuai glanced at Mo Hua and sighed with some emotion.

This kid had really helped him a lot…

With Young Master Jin's group caught, it wasn't safe to linger.

To avoid complications, Gu Changhuai planned to first take them to the nearby Dao Judiciary station, then gather Gu family reinforcements to escort them to the Dao Judiciary headquarters of Qianxue Prefecture.

Mo Hua followed behind.

They walked along the river toward the nearby Immortal City.

At a fork in the road, right at the prefecture border, two paths lay before them:

One led to the nearby third-grade Immortal City; the other went to the second-grade Yanshui River region.

Gu Changhuai would escort Young Master Jin to the Dao Judiciary in the city, while Mo Hua had to pass through the Yanshui River second-grade region back to Great Void Sect.

Mo Hua said farewell to Gu Changhuai and the others.

Gu Changhuai hesitated slightly, then said: "I'll have Gu An and Gu Quan escort you."

Mo Hua shook his head: "I'm not afraid of the second-grade prefecture. Even if I run into Fire Buddha, I can escape."

Gu Changhuai recalled how Fire Buddha had been killed by Mo Hua's surprise attack and sighed: "Alright then, be careful yourself."

"Mm."

Gu An and Gu Quan cupped hands and bid Mo Hua goodbye.

Mo Hua then parted ways, walking alone along the Yanshui River.

He planned to reach the ferry dock nearby and hire a carriage to save himself from walking too far.

But as he walked, a doubt crept into his mind.

Was Young Master Jin really a "Young Master"?

From what he saw, probably not.

And what about Xie Liu?

Though a Golden Core and a Water Dao Sect instructor, he seemed to answer to Young Master Jin's orders, so probably not.

Guo Jianglong had said the pills would be delivered to the "Young Master."

Neither Young Master Jin nor Xie Liu seemed to be the true "Young Master."

That meant these "human pills," after passing through Young Master Jin's hands, would be transferred again to the real "Young Master"?

Could the true "Young Master" be nearby?

Waiting for Young Master Jin to deliver these "human pills" refined from top spiritual root juvenile cultivators?

Mo Hua frowned, deep in thought.

Suddenly a chill ran through him as he sharply glanced toward the Yanshui River.

A thick fog rolled over the river, revealing a splendid ship slowly emerging.

It was already past midnight.

The night was dense and dark, the river shadowy—but the ship shone bright with dazzling lights, wisps of smoke drifting romantically, everywhere blooming with luxurious splendor.

Soft music floated, graceful figures danced, amid pink silk drapes—an extravagant spectacle.

Mo Hua's gaze darkened; his brows furrowed deeply.

Suddenly before his eyes, a blur appeared, as if the Dao mysteries floated and sank.

In just moments, on the flower ship, a mass of black-purple Dao causality and karma slowly appeared, woven and twisted together—ugly, filthy, yet soaked with decadent desire.

It looked like a filthy heart, or a rotting "poppy."

Mo Hua's pupils contracted sharply; he sucked in a cold breath.

At that moment, the mist on the ship lifted slightly, revealing some figures.

A group of people.

Dressed in robes but acting like beasts, raising cups in a toast, drinking and mingling.

They all seemed to be "Young Masters."

At the center, like stars circling the moon, stood one "Young Master" about Mo Hua's age but taller and clearly of very high status.

Everyone toasted him.

It seemed to be a ritual, a handover.

Then this "Young Master" seemed to inherit something; black mist thickened violently, spawning terrible evil desires, chains of poppies spreading.

Mo Hua focused, trying to see his face clearly.

But all was shrouded in fog, hazy and indistinct.

Suddenly, that center "Young Master" appeared to sense something and slowly turned his head.

From within the black mist, he wore a magnificent human skin—but like a demon—with crimson eyes staring right at Mo Hua.

The two locked eyes.

But the fog blocked clear sight; neither could see the other well.

Yet in the depths of fate, it seemed a destiny was slowly turning…

(End of Chapter)