The Quest for Immortality

”I should visit the mine when I get the chance...”

Mo Hua thought to himself.

He wanted to know what exactly these Walking Corpses were doing inside the mines.

But for now, he couldn’t leave.

After leaving the entrance of the Stone Palace, Mo Hua took a brief look around and then went back to sleep honestly.

In the following days, Mo Hua used the complete Concealment Technique, hiding from Lu Chengyun and familiarized himself with the interior of the Stone Palace.

Indeed, there were many zombies here, and their strength was formidable.

It was even stronger than the Lu Family’s apparent strength on the surface.

If one day the Lu Family stopped allowing Lu Chengyun to be the Family Head...

With just one order from Lu Chengyun to control the Iron Corpses and the Walking Corpses, he could truly annihilate the Lu Family...

Mo Hua furrowed his eyebrows, pondering.

Could it be that the Lu Family Old Ancestor was apprehensive of this and that’s why he let Lu Chengyun become the Family Head?

But that didn’t seem quite right either.

Constructing such a massive Stone Palace and refining so many zombies.

It required many Body Cultivators, Formation Masters, Corpse Cultivators, as well as corpse refining herbs, coffins, Corpse Controlling Bells, corpses...

The cost in manpower and resources was no small sum.

Without the support of the Lu Family, Lu Chengyun could never have built this.

There must be secrets between the Lu Family Old Ancestor and Lu Chengyun...

However, with so few clues, Mo Hua couldn’t guess for the time being.

Mo Hua thought about it and felt it was time to contact his Junior Brother and Sister.

Inside and outside collaboration would make things more convenient.

In case of an accident, they could also help him.

Mo Hua took out a Map, which depicted the geographical layout of the Lu Family’s mines.

Mo Hua then took out another piece of paper and sketched out the entrance to the Corpse Mine and the approximate location of the Stone Palace from memory.

Comparing the two, he roughly inferred the location of the Stone Palace within the mine.

Then, based on the location, he speculated where the walls of the mine were thinnest, which would be the easiest for him to dig through.

First off, his own room would not work.

Mo Hua glanced at the Map and realized that his room was situated deep within the Stone Palace, the distance to the outside rock face being the thickest. Trying to dig out from here would take the most time.

Moreover, there were Formations all around. Digging would trigger these Formations.

These Formations could not be set off.

Lu Chengyun was also a Formation Master, and his accomplishments in Formation were not shabby.

It was fine as long as he didn’t discover Mo Hua, who could make some alterations to the Formation without Lu Chengyun realizing right away.

But now, being right under his watch, it would be a rash move to tamper with the Formation, and Lu Chengyun would definitely notice.

Mo Hua also suspected that the Formations inside the Stone Palace were integrated.

Lu Chengyun would definitely use some method to monitor the entire Stone Palace’s Formations.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been possible for Lu Chengyun to detect him the moment he deactivated the Expose Dust Formation.

Deactivating the Expose Dust Formation was done intentionally to be discovered by Lu Chengyun.

Now, digging a tunnel had to be done without letting Lu Chengyun find out.

At night, after deceiving Lu Chengyun, Mo Hua concealed himself and went to several unoccupied rooms on the right side of the Stone Palace.

These rooms were empty and clearly freshly excavated. No one lived there, and there were no coffins placed inside.

According to Mo Hua’s estimates, the walls of these rooms were the thinnest, making it the easiest spot to dig through, and what was more, there were very few Formations in this area.

It was the weakest point in the entire Stone Palace’s Formations that Mo Hua had calculated.

Digging a small tunnel would be sufficient.

Mo Hua took out a little tiger.

This was a wooden puppet given to him by Old Kui, made of a material resembling wood but exceptionally sturdy.

The little tiger had a Spiritual Pivot Formation drawn on it by Mo Hua.

The Spiritual Pivot Formation was for control.

Apart from that, its limbs and teeth bore Sharp Gold Formations drawn by Mo Hua, which could make the puppet’s limbs sharp and capable of piercing through mountains as easy as turning the hand.

Mo Hua wanted to use the little tiger to send a message.

He himself couldn’t leave just yet.

So a small tunnel would do.

Mo Hua found a secluded corner, placed the little tiger there, and then used his Divine Sense to control the Spiritual Pivot Formation on the little tiger, which in turn prompted the puppet to dig through the rock.

The formation on the little tiger slightly glowed and sprang to life, running several circles around Mo Hua before finding a spot at the corner of a wall. Its tiny claws scratched away, and fine rock chips fell, quickly digging a fist-sized tunnel.

The little tiger squeezed in and then continued to dig outward.

Within the tunnel, rock debris and dust kept falling.

Mo Hua thought for a moment and drew another inconspicuous Earth Series Formation to dissolve all the rock fragments to prevent detection.

After that, Mo Hua returned to his room.

Whenever Lu Chengyun wasn’t watching, day or night, Mo Hua controlled the little tiger from afar with his Divine Sense to dig the tunnel.

In the deadly silent Corpse Mine, amongst the black-grey rocks...

The little tiger kept digging, burrowing further and further away.

A few days later, Mo Hua’s Divine Sense suddenly felt lighter, realizing there was nothing left to dig around him.

”I’ve broken through!”

Mo Hua rejoiced inwardly.

Afterward, Mo Hua let the little tiger lie in the underbrush, waiting to be discovered by either his Junior Brother or Sister.

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They must know that I’ve left Tongxian City,

If they were looking for me, they would likely search near the mines.

And this Little Tiger, crafted by Old Kui, something I’ve fiddled with many times, Junior Brother and Sister are both very familiar with it—just a sweep of their Divine Sense, and they’d discover it.

The area around the mine is open and barren, making it less likely to be picked up by other Cultivators.

Mo Hua waited until dawn.

After that, with just a slight stirring of his Divine Sense, he detected that Little Tiger had been picked up, and the aura of the person was very familiar.

It was either Junior Brother or Sister.

After Little Tiger was picked up, something seemed to have been stuffed into it, and a moment later, it was thrown back onto the mountain path.

Mo Hua then controlled Little Tiger to crawl back.

Little Tiger got to the entrance of the cave and quietly waited.

Only after 1 p.m., when Lu Chengyun’s Divine Sense departed, did Mo Hua conceal his figure and go to the entrance, picking up Little Tiger, covered in dust and looking quite dirty.

There was a piece of paper stuffed in Little Tiger’s belly.

Mo Hua unfolded the paper; the handwriting was delicate and beautiful, bearing the message:

”Where have you gone?”

There was a simple drawing at the end of the message.

The drawing depicted a small face, with a stick on top of its head banging it.

One glance and he knew it was Junior Sister’s drawing—that small face was meant to be Mo Hua; he had seen her draw it before.

The Mo Hua in the drawing was being hit on the head.

It seemed Junior Sister was a bit angry…

Mo Hua felt a bit helpless as he stuffed a piece of paper he had written in advance into Little Tiger’s body; it explained the reasons for his actions along with information about the Corpse Mine and the Stone Palace.

He also drew a small Formation on the paper. If someone else got hold of it, Mo Hua would make the paper self-combust.

Mo Hua then placed Little Tiger back at the cave entrance.

Little Tiger began scrabbling its way up the path again.

The next evening, Little Tiger came scrabbling back.

Mo Hua went to pick up Little Tiger again and saw that there was a new note. It simply read:

”Understood.”

There was also a drawing of a small face that was expressionless, neither happy nor angry.

But it seemed as if she was no longer angry…

Mo Hua let out a slight sigh of relief and left Little Tiger in the mountain path to pass messages between him and Junior Sister.

Mo Hua himself would not make any rash moves for now.

Meanwhile, Junior Brother and Sister could be well-infor-med and make some preparations.

Two days later, Lu Chengyun finally found Mo Hua, greeted him with a cupped fist and politely said,

”I have made the necessary preparations; please, Gentleman, lend me a hand.”

Mo Hua’s eyes glinted as he asked,

”What do you need my help with, Family Head?”

”Please follow me,” Lu Chengyun said, gesturing an invite with his hand.

Mo Hua followed him out, walking through the corridors of the Stone Palace, turning several corners, and arriving at the previous hall.

Inside the hall, Zhang Quan was also present. He snorted coldly when he saw Mo Hua.

But he said nothing, nor dared to strike at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua also ”hmmphed” in response, while calculating in his mind how to scheme against Zhang Quan and then steal his ancestor.

Seeing the tension between the two but also their restraint—neither fighting nor exchanging words—Lu Chengyun nodded slightly.

”Brother Zhang, open the door,” he said.

Zhang Quan’s eyes focused, he nodded and said, ”Alright.”

Mo Hua was taken aback, wondering to himself.

”Open the door? What door?”

Where was there any door in this place?

Mo Hua frowned, then watched as Zhang Quan walked up to a huge mural on the wall.

The mural was carved with zombies displaying ferocious and cruel expressions, Cultivators with faces filled with horror, countless overturned coffins, and hands stretching out from within them.

Zhang Quan began to chant and make hand seals in front of the painting.

Mo Hua was slightly stunned.

His actions looked so familiar.

It was similar to what Mo had done in front of the Screen in the Corpse Walking Stronghold, though more complicated, and the incantations were longer.

So this mural, like the screen, was the entrance to a secret chamber?

Sure enough, moments later, the lines on the mural became chaotic and intermingled, turning into a puddle of ink. The ink gradually structured itself into clarity, forming a face that was half human, half zombie.

This face was majestic yet harsh, with a gaze full of greed.

And as part of a zombie, it bore ferocity and terror.

After the half human, half zombie face materialized, it opened its mouth wide; the more it opened, the bigger it got, until the entire face became a gaping maw.

The sharp fangs on either side of the mouth were as lethal as those of Monster Beasts.

This mouth was the entrance.

Lu Chengyun said, ”Gentleman, please!”

After speaking, he walked towards the mural himself.

Mo Hua hesitated for a moment before following him, entering the gaping maw of the zombie.