Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 1119: Many Thanks

A deathly silence spread all around.

Everyone was shaken, speechless.

None of them had expected that Elder Duan of the Cang Wolf Sect—a dignified Foundation Establishment cultivator—would be killed in the blink of an eye by the youth before them. A single fireball had pierced his chest, ending his life instantly. And that youth looked so clean, pure, and harmless…

What terrifying cultivation!

What horrifying fireball technique!

Who exactly was this boy?

Elder Sun of the Cang Wolf Sect, who had not made a move until now, stared at Mo Hua warily and asked in a deep voice:

"Sir, what is your background?"

Mo Hua replied calmly, "I'm just a kind-hearted cultivator passing by."

Elder Sun's eyes turned cold. He inwardly cursed Mo Hua's slipperiness, but afraid of that dreadful fireball, he dared not act rashly.

He didn't even dare to blame Mo Hua for Elder Duan's death.

He was afraid that if he provoked the boy, he might decide to kill them all to silence them.

Elder Sun simply cupped his fists and said, "This was all a misunderstanding. Now that the matter is settled, let's part ways peacefully."

He spoke as if nothing had happened.

But Mo Hua shook his head. "Are you trying to lull me into letting my guard down so you can report back to the Cang Wolf Sect and come after me with reinforcements?"

Elder Sun's heart skipped a beat, but he forced a calm expression:

"This matter has nothing to do with me. Why would I make things difficult for you…"

Even as he spoke, his palm stealthily gripped a Wolf Claw Dart. Seeing Mo Hua looking pensive and slightly distracted, Elder Sun flicked his wrist, unleashing a hidden force and sent the poisoned dart flying straight at Mo Hua's heart.

"Watch out, young master!"

Luo, the lead escort chief, knew well the underhanded techniques of the Cang Wolf Sect. The moment Elder Sun moved, he cried out in warning.

But it was too late.

The dart cut a purple-black arc through the air and shot straight toward Mo Hua's chest.

"Got him?!"

Elder Sun's face lit up—then immediately turned pale.

That youth's figure rippled like water. With a slight sway, he dodged the vicious hidden weapon with ease.

Looking again, Elder Sun saw the youth standing coldly, his fair fingers pointing at himself, his voice detached:

"You tried to kill me?"

A chill swept through Elder Sun's soul. He hurriedly said, "A misunderstanding! I lost control for a moment, don't take it to heart…"

He was already turning to flee as he spoke.

But he hadn't run far when a flash of crimson fire appeared in the corner of his eye—his right leg burned in agony, his footing faltered, and he crashed to the ground.

Elder Sun looked down in horror.

His right leg had been blasted off by a fireball.

The stump was charred black, and an ominous killing aura still lingered—sending a shiver deep into his heart.

That fireball was too fast… too powerful…

With Elder Duan, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, already dead, and now even the powerful Elder Sun felled by a single fireball, the remaining Cang Wolf Sect disciples all trembled in fear—and turned to flee.

Mo Hua glanced at Escort Chief Luo.

Luo was stunned for a moment, then instantly understood. He shouted:

"Catch them! Don't let them get away!"

He was the first to act, grabbing a massive ring-blade from the ground. With one swing, he cleaved a Cang Wolf Sect disciple to the ground.

The other escorts and guards, though injured, also rushed to subdue the fleeing enemies.

Their cultivation wasn't as high as the Cang Wolf disciples, but stalling them temporarily was no issue.

Within moments, Escort Chief Luo and Yingniang caught up. Ring-blades and soft swords danced, and all five remaining Qi Condensation peak disciples of the Cang Wolf Sect were taken down.

Even then, they didn't dare to kill them outright.

The Cang Wolf Sect wasn't a power they could afford to offend lightly.

The defeated disciples were tied up and thrown to the ground.

Elder Sun, with his right leg scorched and destroyed by the fireball, was also held captive by Chief Luo.

For now, the situation was under control.

But Chief Luo's heart was gripped with anxiety. From his years of experience in Cang Wolf City, he knew—this was the most difficult part.

They couldn't kill these people. Doing so would mean forming a blood feud with the Cang Wolf Sect.

But they couldn't let them go either. That would be "releasing a tiger back to the mountain"—they'd be doomed just the same.

Whether to kill or release—neither was a good option.

Chief Luo was stuck in a dilemma. Anxiously, he turned to Mo Hua and whispered:

"Master Mo, what… what do you think we should do?"

Mo Hua paused in thought, then sighed, "I'm not someone who kills the innocent."

Chief Luo slowly nodded.

Then Mo Hua continued: "But we should kill them all."

Chief Luo froze. "Didn't you just say… you're not someone who kills the innocent?"

Mo Hua replied, "I said I don't kill the innocent. These people—are they innocent?"

Chief Luo was stunned, then slowly nodded.

The Cang Wolf Sect ruled the surrounding area like tyrants. Their disciples were infamous for their cruelty and misdeeds—they truly couldn't be called innocent.

Mo Hua raised two fingers and began to condense another fireball. But the next moment, he extinguished the spell, lowered his hand, and turned to look at Chief Luo.

He said softly:

"I have a bit of a soft heart. I don't like killing…"

He feared the backlash of murderous intent.

Chief Luo, however, instantly understood Mo Hua's meaning.

Master Mo wanted them to carry the burden together.

He had personally killed Elder Duan. The feud with the Cang Wolf Sect was now set in stone.

In that case, the others also had to draw Cang Wolf blood—to earn his trust.

If there must be killing, everyone must take part.

A cold chill crept into Chief Luo's heart.

But thinking about it, although Elder Duan died at Master Mo's hands, the root of the conflict was still the escort agency and his daughter.

Strictly speaking, Master Mo had merely acted righteously on their behalf.

And now, Mo Hua had offended the Cang Wolf Sect to save them.

How could they possibly stand aside and leave him to face the fallout alone?

Besides, those Cang Wolf Sect bastards deserved to die.

Chief Luo gritted his teeth, eyes burning with fury. He picked up his massive ring-blade and walked toward Elder Sun.

Elder Sun was horrified.

Before, as a sect elder, he had looked down on Chief Luo—a "wild" Foundation Establishment cultivator who fought his way up alone. He had never once shown him any respect.

But now, seeing Chief Luo walking over with murderous intent, Elder Sun panicked.

"Chief Luo, let's talk this out! If you kill me, the Cang Wolf Sect will never forgive you—think this through!"

Seeing the killing intent in Chief Luo's eyes, Elder Sun covertly gripped a hidden Wolf Poison Dart in his right hand, trying to strike.

But Mo Hua casually launched another fireball—this time destroying Elder Sun's right arm.

Chief Luo stepped up, raised his massive blade high, and under Elder Sun's horrified gaze, beheaded him.

Elder Sun died on the spot.

Chief Luo turned and said to the agency's disciples:

"You all—come over here. Everyone takes a stab."

"You all come over and stab him once."

The disciples of the Escort Agency hesitated, but recalling the tyranny of the Cangwolf Sect and the humiliation they had just suffered, they drew their blades and began hacking at Elder Sun.

After that, the escort guards proceeded to kill the remaining disciples of the Cangwolf Sect.

And thus, the two elders of the Cangwolf Sect, along with several peak Qi Refining disciples, were completely wiped out.

Corpses lay strewn across the ground, blood soaking into the mud.

Leader Luo looked at it all, his expression filled with complicated emotions—part satisfaction from rising up against oppression, part fear and unease from killing, and part confusion and dread about the future.

With a sigh, Leader Luo cupped his fists toward Mo Hua and said:

"Young Master, this is as far as we can take you. We can't return to Cangwolf City anymore. From here on, we'll be wandering the world. Farewell."

Mo Hua looked a little surprised. "You're not going back to Cangwolf City?"

Leader Luo's expression was conflicted.

This Young Master Mo looked naive, but his actions were firm and ruthless.

Yet despite being so ruthless, when he spoke, there was still a trace of... purity.

"We killed members of the Cangwolf Sect. Going back is like walking into a trap—we'll die with no burial."

Even if they reported it to the Dao Court Office, they'd still be considered criminals.

Besides, the Dao Court Office couldn't control the Cangwolf Sect anyway.

Mo Hua nodded and asked, "Then what about your assets and business in the city?"

Leader Luo was heartbroken but helpless. "It's lost now. But as long as we're alive, we can rebuild. We'll just have to start over somewhere else..."

Mo Hua nodded. This Leader Luo was indeed a reasonable man, and his character wasn't bad either.

So Mo Hua said, "It's fine. You should go back. It'd be a real shame to lose your business. Starting from nothing is easier said than done."

Leader Luo looked at Mo Hua with a bit of resentment and repeated:

"But we killed people from the Cangwolf Sect..."

Mo Hua waved his hand. "You don't say it, I don't say it—then no one knows. Besides..."

Mo Hua said confidently, "If no one knows we killed them, then we didn't kill them!"

Leader Luo was stunned.

How could this kid say something so outrageous with such confidence?!

But then again, thinking about it more carefully… wasn't that kind of... logical?

"But..." Yingniang hesitated. "We left behind so many clues...?"

"No problem," Mo Hua said confidently. "Just destroy the bodies and erase the traces, that's all..."

He was very experienced in this sort of thing.

Mo Hua casually tossed out a few fireballs and gave all the corpses a simple "cremation."

Then, he set up a formation that turned the surrounding earth into flowing sand, burying the blood and charred remains.

He even melted down the entire hillside, artificially causing a landslide that pushed everything down into the ravine below.

Just like that, everything was blown away like dust in the wind.

The evidence and consequences were buried deep beneath the mountain.

The escort guards, including Leader Luo, all stared in stunned silence. Their minds were blown.

They had never imagined someone would use fireball spells and formations... like this.

Fireballs to cremate. Formations to bury.

Leader Luo looked at Mo Hua with a mixture of awe and fear, and asked quietly:

"Young Master, if I may be so bold… what did you do before this...?"

Why was he so skilled at destroying corpses and erasing evidence?

Mo Hua answered without hesitation: "Oh, nothing much. I had an uncle with the surname Gu who worked in the Dao Court Office. I learned all these tricks from him."

"The Dao Court Office?!"

Leader Luo suddenly understood.

So it was a family legacy—an official background.

It wasn't that he was a homicidal maniac who developed these habits on his own.

Leader Luo breathed a sigh of relief.

Mo Hua said, "Come into the city with me. Just act like nothing happened. As long as you don't leak anything, the Cangwolf Sect won't suspect you."

Leader Luo felt a little more at ease but was still hesitant.

He couldn't help but think—killing Cangwolf Sect elders and disciples one moment, and swaggering into the city the next... wasn't that too bold?

Mo Hua noticed Leader Luo's concern and said:

"This is called doing the opposite of what they expect. The most dangerous action is often the safest. As long as you're careful enough and brave enough, there's nothing you can't do."

Somehow, whenever Mo Hua said something outrageous, it always seemed perfectly reasonable.

Leader Luo couldn't help nodding.

"And besides," Mo Hua added reassuringly, "didn't I tell you? I have a connection in the Cangwolf Sect. They personally invited me to join."

"That person holds a high position and has powerful backing."

"If you come with me into the city, the Cangwolf Sect will see you as half their own people. They won't suspect a thing."

Only then did Leader Luo finally feel at ease. "Alright."

Still, they didn't go back through the northwest gate, to avoid drawing attention.

Instead, they took a detour through the mountains, let the mountain breeze wash away the blood and killing intent, calmed themselves down, and then pretended nothing had happened, entering Cangwolf City through the north gate.

At the city gate, there were still Cangwolf Sect disciples doing inspections.

The caravan was stopped.

Leader Luo was getting nervous, but Mo Hua had already changed his expression—head held high, face full of pride—as he casually tossed a token to one of the disciples.

The disciple was annoyed at first, but when he saw the token, his face changed instantly. He bowed respectfully to Mo Hua and said:

"I didn't realize you were the Sect Master's honored guest. Please forgive us."

The crowd stirred at these words. Even Leader Luo felt his scalp tingle.

The Sect Master's... honored guest?

So this "connection" of Young Master Mo... was the Cangwolf Sect Master himself?!

It was the Sect Master who personally invited Young Master Mo to join the Cangwolf Sect?

Just who was this Young Master Mo...?

But...

Escort Chief Luo's expression became extremely complicated for a moment.

After a while, an elder from the Cangwolf Sect personally came over and cupped his fists toward Mo Hua:

"This young master, please move to the hall in the back and have some tea. The Sect Master will personally come to receive you shortly."

The Sect Master personally coming to receive him?!

Escort Chief Luo's expression was full of shock.

Mo Hua, on the other hand, looked utterly indifferent, as if he was used to such grand occasions. He merely nodded slightly with a touch of arrogance, then pointed to Luo and his group:

"These are my friends. Don't treat them with any disrespect."

The Cangwolf Sect elder cupped his fists. "Of course." Then he gestured with his hand. "Please."

Mo Hua and Escort Chief Luo's group followed him into the city and were arranged to wait in the main hall with tea.

The Cangwolf Sect elder exchanged only a few polite words before withdrawing, leaving Mo Hua undisturbed.

Seeing the hall was quiet and empty of others, Escort Chief Luo looked like he wanted to speak several times, but due to apprehension, held back every time.

Mo Hua swept the area lightly with his spiritual sense, then turned to Escort Chief Luo and said:

"There's no one around. No one listening through the walls either. If you have something to say, feel free to speak directly."

Escort Chief Luo hesitated for a moment, then slowly asked, "Young Master Mo, do you… know the Sect Master of the Cangwolf Sect?"

Mo Hua nodded. "He's the one who invited me here."

Escort Chief Luo's expression became indescribably strange.

Mo Hua said, "There's no need to worry. Since I know their Sect Master, and two elders have died, as long as you and I don't mention it, no one will blame us."

"That's not it," Luo said in a low voice. "Do you know the surname of the Cangwolf Sect's Sect Master?"

Mo Hua froze.

Luo gave a bitter smile. "The Sect Master of the Cangwolf Sect—his surname is Duan. That Elder Duan just now… was his biological nephew."

Mo Hua's expression instantly turned… colorful.

"You should've told me earlier…"

"You didn't ask, and I didn't know there was a relationship involved…" Luo's expression was full of bitterness.

Mo Hua let out a helpless sigh.

The Sect Master of the Cangwolf Sect had invited him to do something.

And the moment he arrived at the city gates—he killed his nephew?

Mo Hua fell into thought, but soon his expression returned to calm. He said flatly:

"No matter. It wasn't us who killed him anyway. Who died doesn't really matter…"

Escort Chief Luo didn't know what to say.

He quietly lifted his head and glanced at Mo Hua.

This Young Master Mo had just killed the Sect Master's own nephew at the gates, then swaggered into the city and was now being treated as an honored guest by the Cangwolf Sect. Soon, he would even meet the Sect Master.

Escort Chief Luo was shocked to his core—and filled with admiration.

Most of all, what impressed him was Mo Hua's calm composure. His demeanor hadn't changed one bit the entire time, not even a flicker of emotion on his face.

One must remain calm in the face of major events.

So young, yet already possessing such poise—this was someone destined for great things.

Escort Chief Luo couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

What he didn't know was that Mo Hua had already grasped the cultivation method of "Seeding the Devil in the Dao Heart."

He could manipulate others' minds—and his own as well.

To deceive others, you must first deceive yourself.

As long as he believed he hadn't killed anyone—then in his mind, he truly hadn't.

Cause and effect still existed, of course—but at the very least, his face would show no emotional ripples at all.

Mo Hua was utterly composed—but Luo was not.

He couldn't help but feel guilty, and worse, the one he was about to meet was the Tier-3 Cangwolf Sect's Sect Master, a terrifying figure in the Golden Core stage, as ferocious and infamous as a starving wolf or tiger. The very thought of him made Luo's legs tremble and cold sweat run down his back.

Mo Hua said, "Relax. Don't be nervous. This is nothing major."

Luo looked tense. "Young Master Mo, what should I say when the time comes?"

Mo Hua said simply, "You don't need to say much. Just say you were escorting me to Cangwolf City."

Luo still wasn't reassured. "Will… will that really work?"

Mo Hua nodded. "Don't worry. Not only will he not suspect you, he might even thank you."

Luo gave a bitter smile.

Half an hour passed, and just as Luo was sitting on pins and needles, the sound of footsteps echoed from outside the hall.

A man strode in—draped in a wolfskin cloak, his aura vast and powerful, his expression stern and cold. His gaze, sharp and predatory like a hawk and a wolf, swept through the hall.

Instantly, the atmosphere in the hall grew oppressive.

Mo Hua stood up and greeted him. "Sect Master, it's been a while."

The Sect Master of the Cangwolf Sect showed a stern but not unkind smile. "Brother Mo, forgive me for not welcoming you in person."

Mo Hua smiled as well. "Sorry for the unannounced visit. I hope Sect Master won't mind."

The Sect Master shook his head. "For someone like Brother Mo to visit personally, Duan could not be more pleased.

Tongxian City is far too small. With your talents, how could a dragon among men like you be confined to such a place and waste your potential?"

Mo Hua cupped his fists. "You flatter me, Sect Master."

The two chatted and laughed freely, astonishing everyone present—including many cultivators from the Cangwolf Sect.

After all, the Sect Master was known for his ruthlessness and rarely showed a smile.

For someone to be treated by him with such courtesy—there were very few like that in all of Cangwolf City.

After some reminiscing, the Sect Master sat at the head of the hall and swept his sharp gaze over to Escort Chief Luo.

Luo's whole body trembled.

The pressure of a Golden Core cultivator was not something a mere early Foundation Establishment cultivator like him could bear.

Not to mention—they had just killed a Cangwolf Sect elder and six disciples outside the city.

The Sect Master said calmly, "This is… the Chief Escort of the Luo Family Escort Agency?"

Luo quickly stood up and bowed. "Yes, that's me."

The Sect Master's eyes narrowed slightly, a trace of confusion in them. He asked, "Escort Chief Luo, why are you with Young Master Mo?"

"Y-Young Master Mo… didn't know the way. By coincidence, he ran into me in the Small Realm, State of Jizhou, and traveled back to Cangwolf City with our escort convoy."

Luo was nervous, but followed Mo Hua's instructions word for word.

The Sect Master glanced at Luo, seeing his unease and fear under his pressure. It seemed normal enough. After a brief moment of thought, he nodded slightly and said with a tone of approval:

"In that case… many thanks to Escort Chief Luo."

He… thanked me?

Luo stood there dumbfounded, completely unsure how to react.

(End of this Chapter)