Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 1107: Purging the Evil Energy

The first priority was forming a Golden Core.

And to form a Golden Core, one must first cultivate to the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, refining spiritual power to the utmost — making it as dense as mercury — reaching the critical point of crystallization and transformation.

Secondly, one must nurture their natal magic treasure embryo to a state of spiritual resonance and mental connection. Only then, during the Golden Core breakthrough, can they use secret arts to fuse the treasure with their very being — refining it into a stronger Golden Core-grade natal artifact.

However, Mo Hua's natal artifact was unlike others'.

After careful consideration, he concluded that to forge his natal artifact, he must first temper his divine sense to the level of Grade Two with Twenty-Four Runes.

Only with such divine sense could he begin to comprehend the ancient savage formation: the Twelve Meridian Gluttonous Beast Bone Array.

Only after mastering this formation could he carve it into his body.

Once carved, life and formation would become one — only then could it be refined into a true natal formation during Core Formation.

Strengthening the divine sense, comprehending the formation, carving it, refining it...

Mo Hua frowned.

None of these four steps could be skipped, and none of them were easy.

First came the problem of divine sense.

For ordinary cultivators, refining divine sense to Twenty-Four Runes while still in the Foundation Establishment stage was no different from a fantasy — utterly impossible.

But his path was one of proving the Dao through divine sense. Divine thought was the very foundation of his Dao.

Even if he didn't learn the Twelve Meridian Gluttonous Beast Bone Array, he still had to temper and enhance his divine sense before Core Formation — pushing it to near its limits.

Only in doing so could he achieve an explosive leap in quality when forming the Golden Core.

Thus, Grade Two, Twenty-Four Rune Divine Sense wasn't just a requirement — it was the prerequisite for Core Formation.

Ironically, the more troublesome parts were the next three steps: comprehending, carving, and refining the formation.

The Twelve Meridian Gluttonous Beast Array was not only an ancient formation, but also one from the savage lineage, and further still — a formation built upon vicious beasts.

Comprehending it would be extremely difficult, involving many unknown domains in formation theory.

Could it be learned? How long would it take? No one could say.

This was the difficulty of "comprehending the formation."

Even if one managed to understand it, the challenge of "carving the formation" would still remain immense.

And after carving it, how would he go on to "refine the formation"? How would he make it one with his flesh, etch it into his bones, fuse them both, and refine it into a true natal formation — completing the Core Formation process?

Just thinking about all these problems gave him a headache.

Mo Hua frowned, silently grumbling to himself:

"Why is everything I cultivate always so bizarre, obscure, and off the beaten path…?"

"Is there really no inheritance out there that's simple and straightforward — one where I can just 'follow the steps,' copy the answers, and succeed without worrying so much?"

He sighed deeply.

His cultivation path had been full of uncertainties, always crossing rivers by feeling for stones, stumbling forward one step at a time.

And somehow, along the way, he always ended up veering off course.

In fact, he wasn't even sure where exactly he had gone astray...

"Forget it. Cultivation was never supposed to be smooth. If I want to blaze my own trail and forge a Dao foundation unlike any other, I must exhaust every thought, pour in far more effort than others. Attaining the Great Dao without hardship… is simply impossible."

Mo Hua consoled himself quietly, then turned to consider something else.

Aside from forming his Golden Core, there was another pressing matter — Purging the Baleful Energy.

Forming the Golden Core was to become stronger.

Purging the baleful energy, however, was to avoid calamity.

Ever since leaving the Qianxue Prefecture, he'd lost the karmic blessing of the Qian Dao's virtue. Mo Hua felt his fate becoming increasingly unstable, and the resentment in his heart growing heavier.

Even though he did everything to suppress his murderous urges, the baleful energy within his fate was still stirring restlessly.

In such a state, as long as he refrained from killing, things were fine. But once he acted with murderous intent, the delicate balance of karma would be disrupted — triggering a backlash from the baleful energy.

If he didn't find a way to purge it, then over time, his mind would surely be eroded.

In extreme situations — such as unexpected trauma or intense emotional shock — the baleful energy could surge violently, his resentment could spiral out of control, and he would descend into a bloodthirsty madness, becoming a true devil.

This was an enormous hidden danger.

Mo Hua could not ignore it.

But the problem was, back in Qianxue Prefecture, he had accidentally created far too much slaughter when he disrupted the blood sacrifice formation. The karmic backlash resulted in a sea-like flood of baleful energy — far too vast for one man to contain.

To completely purge it… would be unimaginably difficult.

As for specific methods of purging baleful energy...

Mo Hua's gaze grew focused.

The pupil techniques of the Water Prison Sect could enhance their power using "righteous baleful energy," but such methods cultivated baleful energy, not purged it — a fundamentally different path.

Then he paused, remembering something.

He searched through his storage ring for a long time, and finally pulled out a dusty cultivation manual — one he had nearly forgotten.

The title on its cover read:

True Art of Baleful Energy Transformation – Demonic Path

It was a demonic manual he had seized long ago from the infamous heretic "Fire Buddha" in the Qianxue region.

It had once been a top-tier inheritance of the Demonic Baleful Sect.

The Fire Buddha had followed this very technique — killing indiscriminately, generating massive karma, then cultivating and nurturing baleful energy, using the power in his eyes to amplify his Firefall Art.

Mo Hua had acquired this True Art of Baleful Energy Transformation a long time ago, but since it was a demonic path technique, he had buried it deep in his belongings, never intending to use it.

Who would've thought… it might actually come in handy now.

But… it was still a demonic technique, and he couldn't afford to follow it blindly.

If he misstepped, he might fall into madness — suffering inner deviation and ruining himself.

Moreover, transforming baleful energy and purging it… weren't quite the same thing.

Mo Hua brooded for a long time and sighed.

No matter how he looked at it, resolving this overwhelming karmic "slaughter" and baleful aura would be a long and arduous process.

There was unlikely to be any short-term progress.

At that thought, his heart grew agitated.

And with his mind disturbed and thoughts in disarray, the baleful energy began to rise again — his eyes began to darken once more.

Startled, Mo Hua shook his head and forcibly emptied his mind. He pushed all thoughts aside and lay down on the bed.

"It's come to this. I'll just sleep first..."

Some things become even harder the more you think about them. Better to let go for now.

Mo Hua closed his eyes and lay on the bed.

This was the bed he had slept on as a child. It was a bit small now, but a familiar and peaceful aura slowly rose from it, wrapping around his body.

As time slowly passed, all distracting thoughts seemed to fade away.

Mo Hua's heart and mind grew strangely calm.

In fact, he had an illusion — that he'd returned to his childhood days, that he was once again the carefree little boy, Little Mo Hua, who only wanted to learn formation arts...

When he got tired of studying, he'd lie on the bed.

Open his eyes — and it would be a new day.

His parents would call him for breakfast.

His master would be waiting on the mountain to teach him formations.

Old Puppet Grandpa would want to play chess.

His senior brother and sister would be waiting under the old pagoda tree to study, spar, and play with him...

Childlike memories surged forth.

All the noise and chaos of the Qianxue Prefecture faded.

There was no destiny, no karma, no baleful fate, no endless struggles, no blood sacrifices, no great formations, no evil gods… nothing at all — only the purest heart of a child, untainted by the world.

Mo Hua's expression gradually softened into one of peaceful innocence. His breathing slowed, and he drifted into sleep.

The chaotic and layered aura around him slowly settled — revealing a kind of tempered purity.

The innocence of his humanity soothed the majesty of his divinity.

At the same time, it suppressed a part of his ruthless demonic nature — dissipating some of the filth and vicious baleful aura.

His body lay on the same bed he had used as a child.

And his soul… had returned "home."

…

A dreamless night.

The next morning, golden sunlight streamed through the window, warm and brilliant.

He slept without dreams the entire night.

The next morning, sunlight poured through the window, warm and brilliant.

Mo Hua opened his eyes, dazed for a moment, before gradually recalling who he was and where he was.

A sense of peace and warmth spread from the bottom of his heart.

Mo Hua couldn't help but smile. He felt full of energy and completely refreshed.

"Forget it. After drifting in pursuit of study for ten years, it's rare to be home—may as well rest well. Whether it's forming a Golden Core or dispelling evil aura, all the troubles and hardships should be faced naturally. No need to let them weigh on the heart and drain the mind…"

With that thought, Mo Hua felt at ease, and his whole demeanor became even more serene and gentle.

He got up and pushed open the door, only to see his mother, Liu Ruhua, had already prepared breakfast for him. His father, Mo Shan, was also waiting for him to get up.

The scene was exactly the same as when he was a child.

Mo Hua's heart felt warm.

Liu Ruhua looked at Mo Hua and, for a moment, was dazed—as if only then did she truly confirm that her child had really come home.

Everything from yesterday was not a dream.

Liu Ruhua also smiled gently.

After breakfast, Mo Shan went off to Dahei Mountain.

Liu Ruhua began thinking about what delicious dishes to prepare for Mo Hua's lunch.

Mo Hua had some free time and decided to take a walk around Tongxian City.

He wandered around, looking here and there, while clearing his mind. He would consider the matter of forming his Golden Core after relaxing a bit.

Tongxian City was no longer what it once was. Too much had changed—the streets bustled with people coming and going.

Because of the influx of visiting cultivators, many faces looked unfamiliar.

Mo Hua didn't deliberately hide his presence. He simply walked normally along the street, casually looking around with interest.

He had only walked for about half an hour and hadn't even finished strolling through one street when a large demon hunter suddenly jumped out from the side of the road. Grabbing Mo Hua's arm in shock and disbelief, he exclaimed:

"Mo Hua?"

"You're… Mo Hua?!"

After examining Mo Hua's face up close, the man grew even more excited and cried out, "This handsome—yes, it's you! You're really Mo Hua!"

Before Mo Hua could respond, the burly man held onto him and shouted loudly to the surrounding crowd, "It's Mo Hua! Mo Hua is back! Everyone, come quick! Don't let him get away!"

Mo Hua's expression turned subtle.

One stone stirred up a thousand waves.

That shout—"Mo Hua!"—was like pouring cold water into boiling oil. It instantly caused a huge commotion.

The surrounding cultivators were all visibly shaken.

"Mo Hua!"

"Is it really Mo Hua?!"

"Mo Hua is back?!"

"Mo Hua… which Mo Hua?"

"The little array master who descended like a celestial child?"

"The one born with divine strength, who could shroud the heavens with a flip of his palm, break the earth with the other, deform Dahei Mountain, summon heavenly thunder, and slay the great demon Feng Xi—Mo Hua, the mountain god of Dahei Mountain?"

...

The crowd was filled with both curiosity and excitement.

Mo Hua sighed helplessly.

He had just wanted to stroll through the city and clear his mind, but he hadn't expected to be this famous now.

As his master had said—fame is trouble, just like pigs fear getting fat.

Seeing the growing crowd and rising chatter, Mo Hua could only give a polite greeting to the demon hunter who recognized him, and then his figure gradually faded—vanishing directly in front of everyone.

Witnessing this, someone cried out in shock, "He really is a celestial being—vanishing like that in broad daylight…"

Someone beside him couldn't take it, saying, "That's an invisibility technique, you idiot. Aren't you a cultivator? Don't you know even that?"

But the first man insisted, "No, this must be celestial magic. Invisibility techniques aren't that powerful…"

As the crowd continued to argue, Mo Hua had no choice but to head home first. He knew then that peaceful days were probably over for him.

Sure enough, before even the time it takes to burn an incense stick had passed, Elder Yu arrived.

And with him came Yu Chengyi, Yu Chengwu, Ji Qingbai and Ji Li—fathers and sons—as well as many demon hunters who either had ties with Mo Hua or had once received his help.

Then came the old Head Director of the Dao Court Division.

Old Master An, the head of the An family, and still-chubby An Xiaofu even after ten years.

Master Chen from the artifact refining shop.

Instructor Yan and his wife, Manager Mo.

Array Masters Master Luo and Master Qian…

In the blink of an eye, Mo Hua's small courtyard was packed with people—most of whom were prominent figures from the various factions of Tongxian City.

And all of them were familiar faces to Mo Hua.

Everyone who saw him was visibly moved and full of joy. "It's really Mo Hua. He's really back…"

"Your studies went well. Wonderful…"

"Time flies—just ten years, but it feels like forever…"

Looking at all the familiar faces, Mo Hua felt deeply moved.

Everyone paid their respects.

Since the small courtyard wasn't ideal for conversation, Elder Yu arranged a banquet at the An family's restaurant, both for everyone to chat and to welcome Mo Hua home.

Mo Hua had originally hoped for a quiet and low-key return, but things had spiraled beyond his control—he could only accept the high-profile reception.

At the An family's banquet hall—

The place was filled with guests and lively cheer.

To welcome Mo Hua back, An Xiaofu—now the "young boss" of the An family—arranged an extravagant feast.

He even declared that all An family banquet halls across Tongxian City would host all-day open banquets for one full day.

Whether a local cultivator or a passing rogue cultivator, as long as fate allowed them to be there, they could enjoy a rich and delicious meal at An Xiaofu's banquet hall.

Mo Hua originally wanted to stop him from being so extravagant, but after thinking about it, he realized that although lavish, this wasn't wasteful.

In fact, it was a good deed.

After all, as a rogue cultivator, it was hard to get a good meal—much less one that was tasty and filling.

While life in Tongxian City had improved, most wandering cultivators still lived hand-to-mouth.

A good meal offered comfort and kindness.

And this also matched An Xiaofu's childhood wish.

An Xiaofu had always been generous and kind, with a simple heart—just a foodie who wanted all cultivators in the world to eat well, never go hungry, and enjoy the taste of fine cooking.

Mo Hua praised An Xiaofu for his generosity.

An Xiaofu beamed with joy under the praise, overwhelmed with happiness.

Inside the banquet hall, the atmosphere was warm and joyous.

Everyone toasted and exchanged stories as they drank.

And inevitably, the conversation returned to Mo Hua.

After all, Mo Hua had spent ten years away pursuing studies. Everyone was curious—what had he experienced, what dangers had he faced, what adventures had he gone through?

Moreover, Qianzhou was far from Lizhou—separated by mountains and rivers, tens of thousands of miles away.

Qianxue Prefecture was a fifth-tier major region, home to mighty noble clans and powerful sects—a whole different world to these people.

And so, everyone naturally looked to Mo Hua.

Mo Hua began to share his stories.

Of course, he left out anything crucial.

Anything too dangerous, too thrilling, or too unbelievable—he didn't want to worry his parents or the others, so he said nothing of those.

He only picked some relatively ordinary experiences, ones that were "common knowledge" in the Qianxue Prefecture.

Even so, the listeners were all deeply shocked.

Especially when they heard that cultivators at the peak of Foundation Establishment—already considered top-tier in Tongxian City—were as common as ants in Qianxue Prefecture.

And even Golden Core cultivators, who were revered as giants here, were just ordinary elders there.

Above Golden Core were the legendary Ascendants, who could walk through the skies, fly freely, and move like true immortals.

And above the Ascendant realm—there was the terrifying "Void Piercing" realm, able to shatter space, teleport instantly, comprehend the laws of the universe, and suppress entire worlds…

Even beyond Ascension, there is an even more terrifying realm—Void Piercing (洞虛)—which allows one to shatter space, teleport instantly, comprehend the laws of heaven and earth, and suppress an entire realm...

All of this was simply inconceivable, utterly overturning everyone's understanding of cultivation.

At this point, it sounded less like Mo Hua had gone off to study and train, and more like... he had ascended to the heavens, then descended back to the mortal world!

A fifth-rank province realm, and he achieved Ascension and soared to the skies.

Wasn't this exactly like the legendary Immortal Realm?

Everyone was stunned, silently digesting these unbelievable truths for a long time before they could even begin to accept them.

Elder Yu whispered to Mo Hua, "Then you really... joined a fifth-rank great sect?"

Mo Hua nodded. "Yes."

Elder Yu's voice trembled. "Then, in that fifth-rank great sect... are there cultivators of the Void Piercing realm?"

Mo Hua nodded again. "The Void Piercing cultivator is the founding ancestor of our sect. He even personally taught me array formations."

The hall immediately shook with shock.

The Void Piercing Patriarch personally taught Mo Hua formations!

What an unimaginable honor!

By rounding it up, Mo Hua could basically be considered... the disciple of a Void Piercing ancestor!

Void Piercing... that was a realm far beyond the understanding of everyone present—a being from entirely different dimensions of existence.

They were truly people who stood on the edge of the heavens—figures one could never hope to meet in a lifetime.

Forget Void Piercing—even Ascension was out of reach. In Tongxian City, most rogue cultivators wouldn't even see a Golden Core cultivator in their entire lives.

Master Luo stood up solemnly, respectfully asking in a hushed voice, "Then... Mr. Mo... your formations must be... even more formidable now?"

Mo Hua nodded. "Yes, much more formidable."

Master Luo was inwardly amazed, but couldn't help asking with curiosity:

"I've heard the Qianxue Province Realm is full of geniuses, with fierce competition in the major sects. I wonder... among your peers in the sect…"

Mo Hua answered truthfully, "Among my fellow disciples, my formations are the strongest."

Master Luo was stunned.

Mo Hua continued, "Looking across the entire fifth-rank Qianxue Province Realm, among all the geniuses of the various clans and sects of my generation—my formations are still the strongest."

This time, Master Luo was frozen, at a loss for how to respond.

That kind of statement... was beyond his comprehension.

Mo Hua went on, "In the Qianxue Genius Array Debate Conference, I took first place—twice."

Master Luo furrowed his brows, momentarily dazed. He had no idea how significant this "first place" was.

Twice?

Wasn't the Qianxue Province a fifth-rank realm?

Wasn't it overflowing with talent?

Was first place something you could win twice just like that?

It wasn't just Master Luo—even Master Qian, Old Man An, Elder Yu and the others were all exchanging blank looks, their faces lost in confusion, unsure whether or how they were supposed to praise Mo Hua.

But how should they praise him?

What words would even be appropriate?

What kind of emotion should they use?

They had absolutely no sense of what made all these things Mo Hua was saying so impressive—it was all just an empty, overwhelming blur.

Then Mo Hua shared a few more of his "glorious" accomplishments:

For example, at the Great Void Sect he was the Little Senior Brother; he led his sect to first place in the Sword Dao Tournament; even the top talents from the Four Great Sects were no match for him; and now, his sect was already the number one sect in Qianxue; both the Void Piercing Patriarch and the Ascended Sect Master treated him very well…

At that point, the room fell utterly silent. Everyone's expressions grew more and more dazed—clearly, they had no idea how to react.

Until finally, Mo Hua casually mentioned:

"I've already reached the late stage of Foundation Establishment. I'm preparing to form my Golden Core next…"

That, everyone finally understood.

In an instant, the entire hall erupted with emotion and astonishment.

"Late-stage Foundation Establishment!"

"Ten years of cultivation, and already late-stage Foundation Establishment?! Unbelievable…"

"No wonder he's a disciple of a fifth-rank great sect!"

"Incredible!"

"Truly has the potential to become immortal…"

"Our Tongxian City has produced a peerless genius!"

...

Mo Hua sighed, somewhat helplessly.