The Quest for Immortality

”I’ll infiltrate first, rescue Instructor Yan, and then dismantle the Formation at Corpse Walking Stronghold. Without its Formations for defense, attacking the stronghold will be much easier,”

”For the regular Corpse cultivators and Walking Corpses, although I can tamper with the Formation, there are too many of them and too little time, so I’m not in a good position to make a move. That’ll have to be left to you,”

”But as for those Iron Corpses, I’ll figure out a way to deal with them...”

Mo Hua planned methodically.

Startled, Situ Fang asked:

”How do you plan to deal with the Iron Corpses?”

Mo Hua raised two fingers, ”There are two methods...”

”The best one would be to steal Zhang Quan’s Corpse Controlling Bell. Without the bell, Zhang Quan can’t manipulate the Iron Corpses, which is akin to cutting off his own arms,”

”But since the Corpse Controlling Bell is extremely important, Zhang Quan will undoubtedly carry it on his person, so it might not be possible to steal it.”

”If I can’t steal it, I’ll tamper with the Formation on the Iron Corpses, making them go out of control. With such chaos inside the stronghold, everyone can then rush in and attack, ensuring the end of Corpse Walking Stronghold,”

Mo Hua’s planning was clear and straightforward.

Situ Fang furrowed her brows.

It sounded simple enough, but the actual execution was likely to be fraught with considerable risk.

She couldn’t help but express her concern, ”Can it really be done?”

Mo Hua calculated, ”Dismantling the Formation is easy, I’m ninety percent confident...”

Mo Hua actually wanted to say one hundred percent, because, for him now, solving a first-grade Formation, or even those just below first-grade, was trivial.

However, one should never be overly confident. It’s always good to leave some room for error, hence he claimed only ninety percent.

”...Stealing Zhang Quan’s Corpse Controlling Bell has a very small chance, probably just ten to twenty percent confidence;”

”Tampering with the Iron Corpses has about a fifty to sixty percent chance, mainly because I’m not clear on the specific Formations placed on the Iron Corpses, as I’ve never studied them, and, secondly, the Iron Corpses are closely guarded, so I might not have an opportunity to approach them...”

Mo Hua’s voice was crisp and clear.

Situ Fang felt somewhat embarrassed.

This kid Mo Hua could gather intelligence, analyze it, and come up with strategies based on it.

His thoughts were meticulous, and he conducted himself carefully and composedly.

And he was a Formation Master...

No wonder Zhang Lan said that Yang Jiyong was going to great lengths to recruit Mo Hua into the Taoist soldiers Court.

Situ Fang nodded and said:

”Alright, let’s do as you say.”

Afterward, Situ Fang invited two elders from the Situ Family.

One was Situ Jin, and the other was a slender Foundation Building Cultivator.

They discussed the specifics, including the time of the attack, places to lie in wait, equipment of Spiritual Artifacts, purchase of Pills, and coordination of the Cultivators.

Once everything was agreed upon, two days later, more than two hundred Cultivators from the Situ Family assembled and set off towards the desolate mountains near South Yue City at night.

The wild mountain was shrouded in darkness, the moon cold, the forest deep.

Dried grass and strange trees cast bizarre shadows.

Occasionally, Monster Beasts would lowly moan, as if weeping and complaining, adding to the quiet solitude.

Clothed in black, the group moved swiftly and silently, until around midnight, they arrived outside Corpse Walking Stronghold under Mo Hua’s guidance.

Sparse stone forests stood before them.

In a low voice, Mo Hua said, ”I’ll go in first and take a look. Wait for my message.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than he vanished without waiting for Situ Fang to respond.

Situ Fang was taken aback.

The two elders from the Situ Family behind her also startled, then their eyes showed shock.

Gone? Just like that, with no trace of presence, he disappeared?

They were Foundation Builders, yet they had no idea how Mo Hua disappeared. Even with their Divine Sense, the area around them was utterly empty, without a single trace.

Could they really not detect the concealment technique of a Qi Refinement Cultivator?

What kind of Concealment Technique was this?

While they were astonished, Mo Hua had already used the Water Passing Step to sneak into Corpse Walking Stronghold.

In front of the gate of the Corpse Walking Stronghold, compared to the previous days, there were four or five more people guarding.

It seemed that Zhang Quan was still not entirely at ease.

And around the gate, a counterfeit version of Instructor Yan’s ”Expose Dust Formation” had been laid out.

Mo Hua, hidden from view, strolled past the ”Expose Dust Formation” and then, with light steps, leapt onto the roof and, knowing the way well, found Instructor Yan’s room.

The sky had darkened, and Instructor Yan was still reading Formation Books.

Mo Hua released his Divine Sense, saw that there were no people around, and then quietly entered, whispering to Instructor Yan:

”Instructor Yan, I will help you escape tonight. You should start packing.”

Instructor Yan was intently reading his book when suddenly a whisper echoed from the dark corner, startling him.

Once he recognized whose voice it was, he was surprised but didn’t speak; instead, he remained calm and nodded.

Afterward, Instructor Yan began to get up and quietly gathered his Formation Books and Formation Diagrams.

While Mo Hua took advantage of this time to dismantle the defensive formations of the Corpse Walking Stronghold.

Mo Hua dismantled them quickly.

Because he did not need to conceal traces nor worry about damage to the Formations, Mo Hua’s strokes were assertive and rough.

By dawn, when the great battle began, these Formations would all be destroyed.

Thus, Mo Hua had no need to be polite.

Whatever was convenient to dismantle, he dismantled a bit.

For the more complex ones, which he was too lazy to dismantle, he drew some Reversed Spirit Formations.

Once these Formations were activated, they would self-destruct due to the aberrant flow of Spiritual Power and chaotic Formation Patterns.

However, this kind of destruction was minor and nowhere near the extent of Formation Collapse.

Mo Hua’s intention was also just to destroy the Formations,

Not to use them to injure the corpse cultivators of the Corpse Walking Stronghold.

He did not have the leisure for that now.

In the vast Corpse Walking Stronghold, Mo Hua, familiar with the paths, darted back and forth.

Climbing walls, scaling rooftops, balancing on rafters, or wriggling through caves…

He either dismantled or destroyed each Formation within the stronghold one by one.

This route had also been planned by Mo Hua in advance, and he had simulated it several times in his mind.

He aimed to invalidate as many Formations as possible in the shortest amount of time.

After two or three hours, the Formations inside the Corpse Walking Stronghold had been almost entirely sabotaged by Mo Hua.

Feeling a bit tired, Mo Hua rested for a while, thought it over, and made another trip to Zhang Quan’s secret chamber.

Zhang Quan was resting in meditation.

His Corpse Controlling Bell was placed inside his Storage Bag, which was attached to his waist.

Mo Hua had been observing him for many days; Zhang Quan never parted with his bell or his bag.

The Corpse Controlling Bell, he always carried with him in the Storage Bag and it had never been taken out.

Unless he was caught off guard, it was impossible to get the Storage Bag or steal the Corpse Controlling Bell.

And since Mo Hua only had Qi Refinement, facing off directly, he definitely was no match for Zhang Quan.

He did not possess the innate talent or Cultivation level of his Junior Brother and Sister.

Even with a sneak attack, he would not be able to knock out Zhang Quan.

Mo Hua felt somewhat regretful.

It looked like his guess had been correct; under normal circumstances, stealing the Corpse Controlling Bell was impossible.

Zhang Quan was no fool; he wouldn’t give Mo Hua that chance.

Mo Hua then made another trip to the Corpse Hiding Cave.

The Corpse Hiding Cave was used by the Corpse Walking Stronghold for refining and cultivating Zombies.

The coffins of several Iron Corpses were placed in the deepest part of the Corpse Hiding Cave.

Mo Hua glanced over and saw several corpse cultivators guarding overnight, and nearby were Early Warning Formations, making it impossible to approach.

These Iron Corpses were previously unguarded.

It seemed that having suffered a loss, Zhang Quan had learned his lesson and did not dare to be negligent in the slightest.

”Now, this is troublesome...”

Mo Hua frowned slightly.

He couldn’t steal the bell, and he couldn’t lay a hand on the Iron Corpse.

If they really started fighting, they would surely be at a disadvantage.

After thinking for a moment, Mo Hua shook his head slightly.

It seemed that for the time being, he couldn’t solve the problem on his own.

So, Mo Hua stood up and left the Corpse Walking Stronghold first.

Outside the stronghold, he met with Situ Fang and reported truthfully:

”I’ve broken the formation, but I couldn’t steal the Corpse Controlling Bell, nor could I get close to the Iron Corpse.”

Situ Fang was slightly startled.

Being able to break the formation was already beyond her expectations.

As for the Corpse Controlling Bell and the Iron Corpse, she had not dared to hope for them.

”No matter, breaking the formation is already very good,” said Situ Fang. ”Shall we proceed with the plan now?”

”Yes.” Mo Hua nodded. ”But we need not launch a strong assault; we’ll mainly harass them, causing chaos within the stronghold.”

”Alright,” said Situ Fang.

Mo Hua then glanced at Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi and said:

”Let’s take advantage of the chaos to rescue Instructor Yan first.”

”Hmm,” both Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi nodded.

So, taking advantage of the dawn not yet breaking and the weariness of the people,

Situ Fang, along with two Foundation Building Elders from the Situ Family, led more than two hundred cultivators of the Situ Family, all clad in black, and stealthily infiltrated the Corpse Walking Stronghold.

At the entrance of the stronghold, a few corpse cultivators were making a fire and drinking, muttering indistinctly among themselves.

The Foundation Building Elders took the lead, leveraging their swift movement techniques; in an instant, they were beside these few corpse cultivators, and then they struck with all their might, with the swiftness of thunder, wiping out all the corpse cultivators keeping watch!

Afterward, ensuring there was no one around, they signaled for the other Situ Family cultivators to follow.

Despite killing several groups this way, they were eventually discovered by the corpse cultivators.

The alarm bells of the Corpse Walking Stronghold rang loudly.

In the pitch-black night, torches lit up one after another, illuminating the entire stronghold.

The bandits drew their swords, and the corpse cultivators shook their Corpse Controlling Bells.

One coffin after another shook, their lids were flung open, and walking corpses crawled out from within…

A cold light flashed in Situ Fang’s eyes as she said in a chilling voice:

”Kill!”

The cultivators of the Situ Family no longer hid their presence, drawing their swords and activating their spiritual power. They shouted loudly:

”Kill!”

The Corpse Walking Stronghold, in an instant, was filled with a murderous aura.

The clash of swords and the explosion of spiritual power resonated through the air.

Meanwhile, on another front, Mo Hua had already rescued Instructor Yan along with Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi.

Mo Hua said, ”Junior Brother, Junior Sister, you two escort Instructor Yan out first.”

”What about you?” asked Bai Zisheng.

”I have something else to do.”

Bai Zisheng shook his head and said, ”No, it’s too dangerous here. You and Zixi take Mr. Yan out, and I’ll stay behind to cover the retreat!”

Bai Zisheng spoke with righteous indignation.

However, Mo Hua saw through his intentions at a glance. ”You just want to stay and fight, don’t you…”

Bai Zisheng defended himself, ”Nonsense, am I that kind of person?”

But as he said it, he still seemed somewhat guilty.

Mo Hua then advised him, ”I’m going to find Zhang Quan and keep an eye on him so he can’t escape…”

”You get Instructor Yan to safety, then come back to find me. We’ll join forces and capture Zhang Quan.”

Upon hearing this, Bai Zisheng’s eyes lit up. ”Okay!”

Bai Zixi then gave Mo Hua a concerned look and softly admonished:

”Be careful.”

”Yeah, yeah.” Mo Hua nodded.

Instructor Yan also looked at Mo Hua with a worried expression. He wanted to say something, but Bai Zisheng was already pulling him away.

The sooner they left, the sooner they could return.

He was eager to come back and take down that bastard Zhang Quan.

After Instructor Yan had left, Mo Hua looked around for a moment, his thoughts stirring. He then reinforced some formations within the room.

That way, even if the corpse cultivators noticed something amiss and tried to break in, they’d be in for a bit more trouble.

After finishing with the formations, Mo Hua cast his Concealment Technique and slipped into Zhang Quan’s secret chamber.

For Mo Hua, Zhang Quan’s secret chamber was as useless as a free inn—come and go as he pleased, easy access and exit.

And Zhang Quan was still unaware of it.

He was in deep concentration, discussing something with a few leading corpse cultivators in hushed tones:

”… How could there be enemies?”

”… How did they find our stronghold?”

”How many people are there?”

”It’s too dark to see clearly.”

”At least a hundred or two, perhaps as many as four or five hundred…”

”Which power are they from? The Taoist Court?”

”It doesn’t look like it… They’re dressed in black, their identities unclear.”

”Probably some other force.”

”Damn it, they’re attacking us for no good reason! This is too much!”

”Are there any Foundation Establishment cultivators?”

”Seems like there are one or two…”

”Householder, what shall we do?”

...

After contemplating for a moment, Zhang Quan sneered coldly, ”Do they really think our Corpse Walking Stronghold is such an easy target?”

In his eyes flashed a hint of grim darkness:

”Send the order down, awaken all the walking corpses and Iron Corpses. Since they’ve come, let’s not let them leave. It’s been a long time since our Corpse Walking Stronghold had to ’stock up,’ and now’s the time to bring in a batch of ’goods.’

One of the corpse cultivators hesitated:

”Householder, the few of us… controlling the Iron Corpses may be somewhat strenuous. I’m afraid…”

Zhang Quan fell silent, seemingly hesitating about something.

After a moment, he gritted his teeth and said resolutely:

”No matter, I will start the ritual now, burn incense, and pay respects to the Ancestral Master’s portrait, and perform the rites with the Corpse-controlling Blood Bell!”

”Let these petty invaders become food in the bellies of the Iron Corpses!”

The few corpse cultivators were overjoyed, their expressions invigorated as they exclaimed, ”Householder is wise!”

But Mo Hua was taken aback by their words.

Start the ritual? Pay respects to the Ancestral Master’s portrait?

Could it be that he was going to bring out the bell?

If he brought it out, could that not be his chance to steal it?

After all, in a direct confrontation with these corpse cultivators and the fearless zombies, their side would surely suffer heavy casualties.

If he could snatch the bell, they could reduce many losses.

There was also another point that concerned Mo Hua greatly.

Pay respects to the Ancestral Master’s portrait?

Who was this Ancestral Master?

And what was this portrait?

Could it be…