The Quest for Immortality

Mo Hua recuperated for a few days and, feeling that there was nothing seriously wrong, went to visit Mr. Zhuang.

Mr. Zhuang was leaving.

Mo Hua had previously thought about mastering Divine Sense Calculation and then giving Mr. Zhuang a surprise.

Now it seems that this “surprise” might be a bit too big…

But Mr. Zhuang didn’t seem to care, not even bothering to ask.

Mo Hua was a little puzzled and asked,

”Gentleman, aren’t you going to ask what happened?”

Mr. Zhuang looked at Mo Hua and shook his head slightly,

”I know what I need to know, you don’t have to say it and I also don’t need to know what I don’t know, nor should you tell anyone else, let no one be aware of it.”

Mo Hua was slightly startled, but nodded in agreement.

Mr. Zhuang cautioned him,

”You may use Divine Sense Calculation, but be discreet, and if someone takes notice, find a way to cover it up…”

”As for Formation Collapse, never use it again!”

Mr. Zhuang spoke with utmost solemnity.

Mo Hua hesitated and then asked in a soft voice,

”But what if… it’s absolutely necessary, and I have no choice but to use it?”

After all, he didn’t know what dangers he might encounter in the future. If calamity struck, he surely couldn’t just sit and wait for death.

”If it’s absolutely necessary…” Mr. Zhuang replied indifferently, “then you must ensure that after using it, no living person knows about it.”

Mo Hua felt a chill in his heart and nodded again.

Mr. Zhuang looked at Mo Hua, his expression softening,

”These things are not meant for someone of your realm to learn. Once people find out, they will surely covet them and you’ll be bringing trouble upon yourself.” ŕ𝓪ŊỐ𝖇Е𝐒

Especially Formation Collapse.

This legacy was an absolute secret among secrets.

Mr. Zhuang sighed.

He taught Mo Hua Divine Sense Calculation, hoping to give him a glimpse into its ways and make it easier for him to grasp formations, but he hadn’t expected him to dissolve an entire Large Formation…

That was something he hadn’t anticipated at all.

Great Formation Dissolution…

Even now, the thought still made Mr. Zhuang’s heart flutter.

Mr. Zhuang knew that Mo Hua must have some special fate; he had sensed it early on, and this fate might be even greater than he imagined.

But Mr. Zhuang didn’t want to delve any deeper.

Every cultivator has their own destiny. What’s more, this little cultivator who had such a destiny was also his disciple.

Mr. Zhuang intended to keep Mo Hua’s secrets.

And the best way to keep a secret is to be unaware of it yourself.

The divine sense of a person is ethereal and elusive.

But however illusory the divine sense is, it always leaves traces.

Once known, it will inevitably be discerned by others.

So the best method is to know nothing from the start.

When originally there is nothing, where can the dust alight?

Mo Hua had initially planned to disclose the matters of the Thunder Punishment and Formation Patterns to Mr. Zhuang, but since Mr. Zhuang had said so, it was better not to mention it for now.

Mo Hua thought of another matter and asked,

”Gentleman, are you really leaving soon…”

After all, he had learned the Large Formation on his own, and the Feng Xi issue was also resolved, so it seemed there wasn’t any reason for Mr. Zhuang to stay…

And Mr. Zhuang’s aura was also diminishing by the day.

On the surface, his appearance and demeanor seemed unchanged from before, without any noticeable transformation.

But Mo Hua, who was sensitive and had been with Mr. Zhuang for a long time, vaguely sensed that Mr. Zhuang’s aura seemed to be gradually fading.

It was a strange feeling,

As if the very existence of Mr. Zhuang was slowly dissipating.

Mr. Zhuang sighed softly, “Yes.”

”Will I have the chance to see you again in the future?”

Mo Hua asked somewhat disheartenedly.

Seeing the reluctance in Mo Hua’s eyes, Mr. Zhuang seemed to make up his mind, his tone gentle but firm,

”If it’s meant to be…”

…

After Mo Hua left, the shadowy figure of Old Kui materialized, looking at Mr. Zhuang with a frown and said,

”Don’t do anything unnecessary.”

”What do you mean by unnecessary?”

Old Kui spoke in displeasure, “You know what I mean, do I need to spell it out?”

Mr. Zhuang fell silent, and after a moment, his eyes brightened as he said,

”I’m thinking… of taking Mo Hua as my direct disciple.”

Old Kui inwardly thought as much and spoke with increased disapproval,

”You want to meet your own end, but don’t drag the child into it. He comes from humble origins and shouldn’t be entangled in such consequential matters.”

Mr. Zhuang shook his head, “No, he has great destiny!”

Old Kui frowned.

Mr. Zhuang recalled the scene at Big Black Mountain, then added,

”Born from a Great Formation Dissolution and not dying when the Heavenly Dao Thunder Punishment descended, that is great destiny!”

Old Kui said with derision, “Nonsense about great destiny, the Life-gate was calculated by himself, and the thunder was never meant to kill him. These events have their own causes and effects, unrelated to the illusory notion of destiny.”

Destiny was something that might deceive unaware cultivators, but it was a stretch to deceive Old Kui.

Seeing he couldn’t sway Old Kui, Mr. Zhuang then said,

”Let’s not say he has destiny, but at least he has a Taoist Heart, young in age but vast and resolute.”

On this point, Old Kui did not object but just sighed and asked,

”Have you really thought this through?”

Mr. Zhuang nodded slightly.

”You carry no good karma,” Old Kui reminded him.

It wasn’t that there was no good karma, but rather… all were ominous causes and evil consequences…

Mr. Zhuang felt a bitter sweetness in his heart, sighed softly, and then looked into the distance,

”Therefore, I have to find a way… to keep him untainted by these karmic entanglements.”

…

Under the locust tree, Mo Hua was sharing food with Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi from opposite sides.

In front of them were delicately prepared pastries, snacks, various flavors of meat, and fermented beverages.

All these were made by Liu Ruhua, who doted on Mo Hua and had prepared them by hand.

Mo Hua, unable to finish all by himself, gave some to Da’hu and the others; the rest he brought to share with Zisheng and Zixi.

After all, Mr. Zhuang was about to leave, and the three sworn disciples would soon part ways.

Having been together for so long, Mo Hua was somewhat reluctant to let go.

Bai Zisheng was enjoying the food immensely when he suddenly remembered something and asked Mo Hua,

”If you get hurt, will Aunt Liu make delicious food for you?”

Mo Hua nodded, “Of course.”

Bai Zisheng appeared envious, and a hint of jealousy flashed in Bai Zixi’s eyes.

Mo Hua, puzzled, asked, “Won’t your mother make things for you to eat?”

Bai Zisheng sighed, “I’ve grown so much, but have never even had a cup of water boiled for me by my mother, let alone food…”

Mo Hua, curious, asked, “What’s your mother like?”

He had rarely heard Bai Zisheng mention his mother.

”Very beautiful!” answered Bai Zisheng, then muttered, “But she’s cold as ice, and very strict with me and Zixi.”

Mo Hua nodded silently.

Zisheng and Zixi were both very good-looking, so it was natural that their mother was beautiful.

Moreover, with their excellent talents and being born into a noble clan, strict demands seemed understandable…

But why would she be so cold?

Generally, with such children, one would expect parents to cherish them to the point of trepidation, bursting with happiness. How could they be cold?

Mo Hua couldn’t understand and asked further, “What about your father?”

This question seemed to touch a sore spot for Bai Zisheng. His expression changed, and he said coldly, “I don’t have a father!”

Mo Hua nodded, “No father, then no father.”

Bai Zisheng was taken aback and asked, “How can a person not have a father?”

”Wasn’t it you who said you didn’t have one?”

”That was said in anger!”

”Then what’s the truth?” Mo Hua asked, curious.

Bai Zisheng sighed, “I don’t know who my father is. My mother won’t tell, and everyone else in the family avoids the topic like a taboo.”

”I guess he’s either dead or has an identity that can’t be revealed…”

”Things in your noble clan really are complicated…”

Bai Zisheng sighed, then confessed enviously, “You have it better.”

Mo Hua didn’t quite understand. “In what way?”

Bai Zisheng shook his head, “Nevermind.”

Bai Zixi also silently observed Mo Hua, not speaking. However, her eyes, like autumn water, brimmed with deeper longing.

Afterward, the three set aside their thoughts, ate their fill, practiced their lessons for a while, and then each headed home.

…

The days in Tongxian City were as tranquil as still water, while the Heaven Shu Pavilion in the Taoist Court was stirring up waves.

An elder in the high positions of Heaven Shu Pavilion, who was also a Pavilion Elder, now held a Jade Slip in his hand. Reading the content, his eyebrows furrowed into the shape of the character “川.”

The Jade Slip detailed the aftermath of the Taoist Demon in Tongxian City:

To the north of Li State, within the Second Grade Black Mountain State Boundary lies Tongxian City.

A Taoist Demon emerged, taking the form of a Big Demon by the name of Feng Xi.

Appendix: Local cultivators constructed the Five Elements Slaughter Demon Great Formation (Note: Second Grade, eleven patterns), but the Great Formation collapsed, drawing the Heavenly Dao Thunder Punishment, and Feng Xi perished…

The Pavilion Elder understood each sentence, yet when put together, they made no sense to him.

How did they construct the Five Elements Slaughter Demon Great Formation?

Was such a Great Formation so easily constructed? Who could do it on a whim?

Who aided them? And who was the main Formation Master?

”Great Formation Dissolution”…

How could the Great Formation collapse?

Collapse is not something an ordinary Formation Master would know, is it?

Moreover, it was the collapse of an entire Great Formation… Could that be the tactic of any ordinary Formation Master?

”Heavenly Dao Thunder Punishment,” that’s even less necessary to mention.

Who initiated it? What was meant to be obliterated?

”Feng Xi’s death,” the fact that seemed most surprising at first, now seemed the least surprising…

Under the restrictions of Heavenly Dao Laws, it was nearly impossible to slay a Taoist Demon, and even if one was killed, it usually happened within the boundaries of noble clans.

For a place like Tongxian City, a small Immortal City at the bottom rung, managing to come together to kill a Taoist Demon was astonishing…

But in the face of “constructing a Great Formation,” “Great Formation Dissolution,” “summoning Thunder Punishment,” Feng Xi’s death seemed almost expected…

The Jade Slip was concise.

The Pavilion Elder had previously instructed the clerks of Heaven Shu Pavilion to be as succinct as possible and avoid superfluous words.

But now, he found the report overly concise, making it somewhat difficult to understand…

The Pavilion Elder sighed.

”A single Feng Xi… why make such a fuss…”

Just hearing about it made one anxious.

Especially regarding the Thunder Punishment. Even at their level, it was something to be greatly feared and avoided at all costs.

Initiating Thunder Punishment was indeed playing with fire…

The Pavilion Elder shook his head slightly, frowning in thought. There was only one explanation that came to mind:

That youngster surnamed Zhuang made a move.

Otherwise, who could have constructed the Great Formation, and who could have caused its collapse?

The only question was whether he was dead or alive after summoning the Thunder Punishment, or whether it was a person or a puppet that had perished…

The Pavilion Elder then grew doubtful.

Since when had that Zhuang youngster been so altruistic?

It was just a tiny Immortal City, not out of the ordinary.

In the Cultivation World, there are millions of such small Immortal Cities. Why would he care so much?

Could there be some unknown reason behind it that he wasn’t aware of?

The Pavilion Elder resumed examining the Jade Slip, and at the end, he noticed an additional line:

”Feng Xi’s flesh and blood, Planting Devil in Taoist Heart, suspected to be the doing of Gui Tao’s people…”

The Pavilion Elder inhaled a breath of cold air, looked into the distance, his gaze sharpening, and murmured softly,

”This is troubling…”