Immortality Through Array Formations

Chapter 1108: Chapter 683 Blood Mist (Added for Alliance Leader Wind Chocolate~) Chapter 1108: Chapter 683 Blood Mist (Added for Alliance Leader Wind Chocolate~) The undercurrents at the Qianxue State Boundary ran swifter now.

Yet Mo Hua, the orchestrator behind the scenes, remained oblivious to it.

Right now, with a “hungry stomach,” all he wanted was to fish and catch some Divine Remains to “sate his hunger.”

Several days later, finally, a fish took the bait.

After finishing his class, Mo Hua was eating at the Disciple’s Residence when he received a message from Gu Changhuai:

“Crossing River Dragon is dead.”

Mo Hua asked, “Really dead, or feigned?”

“Feigned.”

“Did you catch the mole?”

Gu Changhuai hesitated, then spoke apologetically, “No…”

Thereafter, Gu Changhuai explained the details:

“I’m short on time and can’t always keep watch, so I had someone from the Gu Family disguise as a prisoner to infiltrate Taoist Prison and secretly monitor the cell next to Crossing River Dragon.”

“Initially, all was calm, nothing happened.”

“But last night around midnight, the monitor suddenly felt icy all over, as if something had entered Taoist Prison. At the same time, he felt dizzy and drowsy, and when he awoke, Crossing River Dragon was already dead, his body decayed…”

Mo Hua’s gaze sharpened, “Decayed?”

“Yes.” Gu Changhuai continued, “His body developed venomous sores, foul and necrotic, and no one in Taoist Prison dared approach him.”

Mo Hua inquired, “Could his identity still be recognized?”

Gu Changhuai replied, “As always, his flesh was corroded by demonic Qi, his facial features decayed, meridians completely destroyed, and spiritual power tainted. But this time, the demonic Qi wasn’t intense, so much of his body was left…”

Gu Changhuai sighed, “You could tell, the deceased’s physique and stature matched those of Crossing River Dragon, possessing a Water Series Spiritual Root, and there was a fishy smell on him…”

Mo Hua nodded.

This was a case of finding a ‘scapegoat’, whose dissimilar traits were obliterated by demonic Qi, leaving only the height, physique, and Spiritual Root—the traits that matched Crossing River Dragon.

Clearly, a lot of cunning was at play.

And who this scapegoat was, and where they were found, remained a mystery.

Gu Changhuai continued, “Sudden onset of the severe ailment, demon sores covered his body, died in prison, basic traits matched, Taoist Court Officials concluded the case and sealed Crossing River Dragon’s files.”

Mo Hua slightly nodded.

All this matched exactly what he had heard from Mr. Jin.

“What happened next?” Mo Hua asked.

“That’s all.” Gu Changhuai replied.

Mo Hua clearly didn’t believe it, asserting confidently:

“Uncle Gu, you must have kept a backup plan, there’s something you’re hiding from me.”

Mo Hua understood Uncle Gu.

Although he was “no good” with Divine Sense and Formations, at the Taoist Court, especially in handling Sin Cultivators’ criminal investigations, he was genuinely a crafty old fox. How could he just let Crossing River Dragon escape so easily?

Gu Changhuai was found out and resignedly said, “There’s no use telling you.”

“If you don’t tell me, you’ll never catch Crossing River Dragon.”

Mo Hua confidently stated.

Gu Changhuai was startled, his look complicated, then he deeply sighed.

He always sensed that Mo Hua, like a “Minor Religious Con Man,” could deduce and predict so much, nothing could be hidden from him…

Since that was the case, Gu Changhuai didn’t hide it anymore.

“Outside the Taoist Court, I secretly arranged someone to keep watch, the next day at 1 p.m., an Enforcement Leader transporting the executed Sin Cultivators’ corpses from the Taoist Court for cremation—Crossing River Dragon was among them…”

“Is there an issue with this Enforcement Leader?”

“No, he was unaware.” Gu Changhuai explained.

“And then… was Crossing River Dragon cremated?”

Gu Changhuai shook his head, “He was swapped in transit…”

“A funeral procession passed by the corpse transport carriages, someone took advantage while the Enforcement Leader wasn’t looking, and swapped two identical coffins.”

“Afterward, the Enforcement Leader transported the corpses to the crematorium, while the funeral procession took away the coffin containing Crossing River Dragon and buried it…”

“After the burial, I secretly had people dig up the coffin; inside, it was found empty, Crossing River Dragon was gone…”

Mo Hua was somewhat surprised.

This “substitute-the-spurious” tactic was indeed clever.

He silently noted it; perhaps he could use it himself in the future.

“Where was the coffin buried?” Mo Hua asked.

“Along the Mistwater River.”

Mo Hua was startled, “So, Crossing River Dragon has returned to Mistwater River?”

“Seems likely…”

“Is there any way to track him down?” asked Mo Hua.

Gu Changhuai sighed, “For such a Water Series Cultivator, entering the river is like letting a fish swim or a bird fly into the forest; where the woods are deep and the waters vast, no traces remain.”

“And he must have altered his appearance, no one could recognize him.”

“The Water Series Cultivators of Mistwater River are not too few, nor too many; I could check one by one, but that would likely alarm others, making it impossible to cast a long line to catch a big fish…”

“Oh…” Mo Hua nodded.

He was straightforward, earnestly offering, “Uncle Gu, let me find him for you!”

Gu Changhuai’s gaze narrowed, sensing something amiss, “Are there conditions you’re waiting to propose?”

Mo Hua feigned heartbreak, “Uncle Gu, am I such a person? Punishing evil and promoting good is the duty of a Righteous Dao Cultivator, especially as a member of the esteemed Taixu Gate…”

“Never mind then.”

“I’ll tell!” Mo Hua immediately spoke, then delivered a prepared spiel:

“Just three small conditions: if there are clues about human traffickers, let me know; when you need manpower, support me a bit;”

“…and finally, can I complete the rewards first before you issue them according to task content? This way the process at Taoist Court goes quicker, merit points won’t be delayed…”

The Fire Buddha’s merit points haven’t come through yet!

Taoist Court organization is cumbersome, process redundant, Mo Hua resented deeply.

Gu Changhuai took a deep breath.

Are these three small conditions?

Which condition is small?

Though young, his demands are not.

“No!” Gu Changhuai refused.