The Quest for Immortality

He tried several times, each time getting a little better.

After countless repetitions, Mo Hua found his Divine Sense was exhausted.

Divine Sense manifested Spiritual Power, without Divine Sense, there was no Spiritual Power, and thus, no ability to use spells.

Mo Hua sat and meditated, and after recovering his Divine Sense, he continued practicing.

After two days of relentless practice, foregoing sleep and food, Mo Hua finally succeeded in casting his first Fireball Technique.

The power was not great; it was just an Ordinary Fireball Technique.

But the significance was different.

He could finally use spells in his Sea of Consciousness!

If any sneaky or evil thoughts invaded his Sea of Consciousness again, he now had a basic means of attack.

Mo Hua’s spirits lifted.

After that, he practiced the Water Prison Technique, the Water Passing Step, and the Concealment Technique.

The Water Passing Step was effective.

But as for the Concealment Technique, it was hard to say since in his Sea of Consciousness he could not tell if he was concealed or not; he would have to find an opportunity to test it.

After manifesting these spells, Mo Hua felt a great sense of security.

Now facing danger, he also had means to kill or slaughter.

Next, it was time to manifest Formation.

Mo Hua started with the relatively simple Seven-Pattern Earth Fire Formation.

He first consumed his Divine Sense to manifest Spiritual Power, then controlled the Spiritual Power, and little by little began Drawing Formation according to the shape of the Earth Fire Formation Patterns.

The pale blue Spiritual Power flowed naturally, meandering and twisting on the ground of his Sea of Consciousness, forming the Formation.

But just after Drawing three Formation Patterns, he made a mistake.

Mo Hua’s Divine Sense faltered, and he failed to control the trajectory of the Spiritual Power, rendering the Formation useless.

”Controlling Spiritual Power with Divine Sense alone seems indeed to be challenging...” Mo Hua murmured, frowning.

He knew how to Draw Formation, but his Divine Sense just couldn’t control the Spiritual Power well enough to make it flow and condense into a Formation according to his will.

Mo Hua tried several more times, making little progress.

And Drawing Formation like this was also very slow.

Mo Hua frowned.

This was not quite what Mr. Zhuang had said...

Had he missed something?

Mo Hua then linked the key points together and reviewed them.

Heaven Yan Jue, Spiritual Pivot Formation, Divine Sense Calculation...

Could it be the Spiritual Pivot Formation?

Mo Hua recalled what Mr. Zhuang had said:

”The core of the Spiritual Pivot Formation is control, but control is just the surface; analyzing the structure of Spiritual Power is the essence of the Spiritual Pivot Formation.”

Controlling corpses and objects might just be superficial applications.

Its essence lies in understanding the structure of Spiritual Power.

Mo Hua stopped trying to control Spiritual Power with his Divine Sense to Draw Formation.

Instead, he calmed his mind and contemplated the Spiritual Pivot Formation, using his Divine Sense to penetrate the essence of Spiritual Power.

After the time it took to finish a cup of tea, Mo Hua’s mind trembled, and his thoughts became clear.

He realized his Spiritual Power had changed.

The Spiritual Power manifested by his Divine Sense had become more meticulous, as thin as threads.

These Spiritual Threads were finer components under the structure of Spiritual Power.

And these Spiritual Threads seemed to echo and integrate with his Divine Sense, becoming one.

With the mind’s intent, the Spiritual Power followed the Divine Sense, as naturally as moving one’s arm, forming a flawless union.

Controlling the Spiritual Threads with Divine Sense was as natural as breathing.

Mo Hua was astonished.

He only now realized the fundamental principles of Spiritual Power contained within the Spiritual Pivot Formation were so exquisite.

He had learned the Spiritual Pivot Formation before and even applied the Formation but never deeply grasped the profundity within it.

It was worthy of the Minor Hidden Spirit Sect...

No, or perhaps it should be said, the secret heritage of the once Great Hidden Spirit Sect...

To use such a Formation merely for corpse control was a waste of its true potential.

Mo Hua felt somewhat emotional.

He then tried again, controlling Spiritual Power with Divine Sense, turning Spiritual Power into Spiritual Threads, and using the Threads to Draw Formation.

This time, the flow of Spiritual Power was much more flexible, precise, and swift.

With just a thought from Mo Hua, the Spiritual Threads on the ground quickly coalesced to form a complete Seven-Pattern Earth Fire Formation in just a few moments!

Without pen or ink, with a mere thought, Formation Patterns were created, forming a Formation.

It was fast and convenient.

With this, his Sea of Consciousness seemed devoid of any Formation, but with just a shift in Divine Thought, Formations could be established everywhere!

Mo Hua was so shocked that he couldn’t speak.

This was, perhaps, too powerful.

Though it was only a Seven-Pattern Formation, the speed of his Formation Painting was truly unfathomable.

Mo Hua then felt a sense of regret.

This technique could only be used within his own Sea of Consciousness; it was not applicable outside.

”I wonder if there will come a day when I, too, can form formations outside the Sea of Consciousness in an instant with strong Divine Sense...”

Mo Hua couldn’t help but indulge in some wistful thinking.

Of course, for now, he could only think about it...

Having mastered the methods of Spell Manifestation and Formation Visualization, the next step was simply to keep practicing and improving.

The power of the Fireball Technique was still insufficient; he needed to practice it more.

And the formations—while he could paint Seven-Pattern Formations quickly, the more difficult Eight or Nine-Pattern Formations would slow him down considerably.

Mo Hua wanted to find some first-tier Nine-Pattern Formations to practice within his Sea of Consciousness.

So engrossed was he that he forgot to eat or sleep, and after one or two weeks of practice, Mo Hua’s Divine Thought Slaughter had finally seen some minor achievements.

Next, it was time to test his skills.

Mo Hua took out the Ancestral Master Picture of the Zhang Family.

To be safe, Mo Hua also called over Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi to protect him during his practice.

”Junior Brother, Junior Sister, you must not look at this picture!”

”No matter what sounds you hear, do not believe them!”

Mo Hua began with these instructions, then continued:

”Later, I will sneak a peek at it and then close the picture...”

”If everything seems normal, then you don’t need to do anything.”

”But if I become entranced by the picture and fail to close it, help me to close it and then throw the picture on the ground and stomp on it hard a few times.”

”If my mind changes drastically while I am looking at the picture, knock me out and then go call Master.”

”If the picture undergoes any strange changes, or something tries to come out of it, just burn it immediately! And scatter the ashes!”

…

Mo Hua had considered all possible scenarios and made his instructions crystal clear.

Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi didn’t quite understand, but they nodded anyway.

With everything ready, Mo Hua unfolded the Ancestral Master Picture of the Zhang Family.

As the picture was revealed, Mo Hua’s gaze skittered across it like a dragonfly skimming over water, glancing just once.

With that single look, he saw the entirety of the picture.

It was a group portrait, depicting the Ancestral Master teaching.

The high halls were solemn, with smoke from incense curling in the air.

In the center sat an elder with white hair and beard, radiating virtue and commanding respect, teaching and imparting wisdom.

Beneath him, rows and rows of disciples were seated.

These disciples were positioned according to their seniority, ranked from highest to lowest, seated in turn.

All wore white robes, their postures upright and respectful.

It was a solemn and serious image of the Ancestral Master teaching.

But with the same, single glance, the scene in the picture began to change abruptly.

The people in the picture seemed to come subtly to life.

Mo Hua then heard the enticements of an elder:

”You are brilliantly gifted...”

”You have extraordinary talent...”

”Join my sect... let me help you find the Way...”

”Join my sect... let me help you become immortal...”

”Join my sect...”

…

At the same time, the disciples seated below the elder suddenly turned their heads, as if by some unspoken agreement, looking directly at Mo Hua.

They revealed faces that resembled those of zombies.

Mo Hua was slightly alarmed in his heart.

Was this old ancestor of the Zhang Family preaching to zombies?

Or was it that the entire Zhang Family had turned into zombies?

Before he could sort out his thoughts, a zombie disciple seated furthest from the Ancestral Master suddenly showed a ferocious expression, leapt from his seat, and lunged directly at Mo Hua’s Heavenly Court, burrowing into Mo Hua’s Sea of Consciousness.

For a moment, Mo Hua’s gaze became vacant, but then it became bright again in an instant.

While the other zombies were snarling and attempting to invade his Sea of Consciousness.

Mo Hua reacted quickly, folding the picture shut.

He trapped a group of zombies within the picture,

And trapped a single zombie within his own Sea of Consciousness.