The Quest for Immortality

494 Chapter 480: Planning_1

Mo Hua was still studying the Ten Thousand Corpses Compound Formation.

The Formation eye of the Ten Thousand Corpses Compound Formation was designed by him personally. Mo Hua had mastered it, so he spent most of his time on the Formation Pivot and Formation Patterns.

After some research, Mo Hua more or less understood the function of the Formation of Ten Thousand Corpses.

The Ten Thousand Corpses Compound Formation, as well as the unaltered Large Formation of Ten Thousand Corpses, served similar purposes but varied in scale.

This Formation primarily had two uses:

The first was for large-scale Corpse Refinement.

Within the Formation, numerous coffins were embedded as Formation media, maintained by Formation Patterns, coordinated by the Formation Pivot, and powered by the Formation eye, thus enabling ”mass production” of Zombies.

The second was to enhance Corpse control.

With the Spirit Pivot Formation at its core, a whole set was constructed, centered around the Bronze Corpse, with the Iron Corpse as the pivot and the Walking Corpse as the foundation, establishing the Spirit Pivot Sequence Formation Method.

Layer upon layer of cohesive control.

This required quite a solid foundation in Formation knowledge.

Though Lu Chengyun’s schemes were not righteous, he had genuine talent and skill in Formation.

It’s just that he didn’t apply his thoughts to the Righteous Dao.

Mo Hua shook his head.

He had almost finished his research on the Formation of Ten Thousand Corpses, and next in line was the altar.

The golden altar shone brightly.

The Beast Gold Incense Burner emitted curling smoke.

The Emerald Candle Holder was exquisite and luxurious, and the candlelight flickered.

However, this candlelight was somewhat eerie, and the wax on the candles, which resembled corpse fat, seemed to have been made from who knows how many people’s deaths.

On the altar were placed Five-Color Spiritual Flowers, gold-bordered banners, and Jiao Dragon Patterned Lanterns.

In front of the altar was presented the Spiritual Meat of pigs and sheep.

This Spiritual Meat was quite precious.

The Mining Cultivators outside fighting tooth and nail might not taste such luxury even once in their lifetimes.

Mo Hua sighed softly.

The items displayed on the altar, covered by a yellow cloth, were strangely shaped, resembling sculptures, Monster Beasts, or even desiccated corpses.

Even Divine Sense couldn’t probe them.

It was impossible to distinguish exactly what they were.

”Should I lift it and take a look?”

Mo Hua’s hand reached halfway, then stopped.

He hesitated within his heart.

If he were to lift it, could there be any danger?

And would Lu Chengyun discover it?

What if what was presented was a dangerous entity such as a Zombie or Monster Beast, where unveiling would mean Unsealing?

Although he could potentially escape using the Water Passing Step or Concealment Technique, suppressing it using his Cultivation would probably be impossible.

If this dangerous entity made a commotion, it would certainly alarm Lu Chengyun.

And if inside was not some dangerous entity but something like the ”Contemplation Map” with evil thoughts and ghosts attached to wooden sculptures or stone carvings, then he would still be in danger.

Ever since encountering Gui Tao’s people and their ”Gui Shadow,” Mo Hua had become much more humble.

He no longer felt his Divine Thought manifestation could kill with abandon.

It was better to be cautious when dealing with matters.

Especially with unknown dangers, it was best not to act rashly without deep knowledge.

Mo Hua was somewhat itching with curiosity,

He really wanted to know what exactly lay under the yellow cloth on the altar.

But he didn’t dare to rashly uncover it.

Mo Hua was conflicted for a moment and finally had to let it go.

Better to be safe than sorry.

Inside the Corpse Mine, it wasn’t like South Yue City; there was no master to bail him out, no fellow disciples to help him.

It was better to be ”cowardly” if possible.

Reluctantly, Mo Hua shifted his gaze from the altar and turned it back to the center of the Ten Thousand Corpses Compound Formation, to the Bronze Coffin above the Formation eye.

This Bronze Coffin’s Spiritual Pivot Formation contained the ultimate Sequential Formation Pattern.

If the Formation assumed its designated importance, the Zombie within the coffin would possess the highest authority upon its refinement, capable of commanding Iron Corpses of the Foundation Establishment Stage and thereby wielding control over all the Walking Corpses in the entire Corpse Mine.

Lu Chengyun, through the Spiritual Pivot Formation, would achieve grand mastery in Corpse control.

He would not only be the Family Head of the Lu Family but also the Zombie supreme in the Minor Wilderness State Boundary.

Mo Hua propped his chin, scheming thoughts bubbling within:

”What if I were to destroy this Bronze Coffin?”

”Or what if I collapsed the entire Ten Thousand Corpses Compound Formation?”

”Just be done with it once and for all...”

”Cut off Lu Chengyun’s ambitions directly.”

”Let his century’s worth of efforts go down the drain, his hard work turned to ash...”

Mo Hua thought it over and then shook his head slightly.

Calculations would take time.

Laying out a Reversed Spirit Formation also required time.

Lu Chengyun, wary as he was, might not provide him such an opportunity.

No...

Mo Hua furrowed his brow and thought again.

There was still a chance, as long as he was patient, an opening would eventually present itself.

Lu Chengyun, as Family Head, had numerous affairs to attend to and could not possibly watch this place all the time.

A moment’s negligence would give Mo Hua the opportunity to trigger the Reversed Spirit Formation Collapse—then with a ”boom,” Lu Chengyun’s century-long foundation would be destroyed...

”But what if the collapse were to happen...” Mo Hua continued to ponder.

”Would the Corpse Mine collapse as well?”

Would he still be able to escape?

So, should he set up the Reversed Spirit Formation first, find a way to flee, and then use puppets to induce the Formation Collapse?

But this was deep inside the mine.

If a collapse occurred, it could potentially result in an unpredictable explosion and cave-in, possibly leading to a chain reaction. Not just the Corpse Mine, but the entire mountain might be annihilated.

By that time, not only will the Ten Thousand Corpses Compound Formation collapse, but also the Corpse Mine will cave in, the corpse cultivators will die, and even the poor mining cultivators within nearby mines will lose their lives due to spiritual power shocks and mine collapses.

Evacuate the mining cultivators in advance?

Mo Hua pondered for a moment and felt that it still wouldn’t work.

The mines belonged to the Lu Family. Evacuating the mining cultivators inside would certainly alarm the Lu Family.

Once the Lu Family became suspicious, action would not be so convenient.

Moreover, the power of the Great Formation’s dissolution was immense.

But this was a Compound Formation, perhaps its power wasn’t as exaggerated as he thought.

At most, it would collapse the Formation of Ten Thousand Corpses and destroy the bronze coffin.

But once the bronze coffin was destroyed...

The highest Sequential Formation Pattern of the Spiritual Pivot Formation would cease to function.

Would the other zombies lose control as a result?

Once the zombies lost control, they would instinctively crave flesh and blood, choosing people to devour. With their large numbers, they would cause a Corpse Tide, spread Corpse Poison, and all of South Yue City would face catastrophe.

Mo Hua himself could escape.

Even if he were infected with Corpse Poison, he had ways to deal with it.

But what about those poor Loose Cultivators?

If they couldn’t escape, they would become food for the zombies.

Even if they were just bitten and had no Pills to cure them, the spread of the Corpse Poison and its erosion into their veins would cause them to undergo Corpse Transformation, becoming walking dead...

Mo Hua tried to consider every aspect.

It seemed that no matter what he thought or did, there would always be some oversight, making it very difficult to cover all bases.

Things were getting problematic...

Mo Hua sighed.

”What about tampering directly with the Formation on the bronze coffin?”

Mo Hua looked at the bronze coffin before him.

He often observed this coffin during the day, and even when Lu Chengyun was drawing the Spirit Pivot Evil Formation, he would peek from the side.

An outer coffin and an inner casket.

Lu Chengyun’s Formation was drawn on the inner bronze casket within the coffin.

It wasn’t drawn directly on the bodies of the zombies.

But what exactly was inside the bronze casket, and whether there were any zombies at all?

If so, what level of zombie were they?

Walking corpses, Iron Corpses...

Logically, what should follow would be Copper Corpses, Silver Corpses, and Golden Corpses...

Bronze coffin... could it be a Copper Corpse inside?

But judging from Lu Chengyun’s tone, it didn’t quite seem the case.

If it were a Copper Corpse, it should be quite powerful, perhaps with the cultivation of Foundation Establishment Late Stage.

Could Lu Chengyun, who was only at the Foundation Establishment Initial Stage, suppress a refined Copper Corpse?

If he couldn’t suppress it and still attempted refining, wouldn’t that be seeking death?

Those who are backfired by Corpse Refinement would definitely be devoured completely by the zombies, leaving no bones behind.

Lu Chengyun was shrewd; he surely wouldn’t make such a foolish mistake...

But if it wasn’t a Copper Corpse, then what type of corpse was it?

After much deliberation, Mo Hua suddenly realized a fundamental question:

He didn’t even know the differences between Walking Corpses, Iron Corpses, Copper Corpses, Silver Corpses, and Golden Corpses...

Aside from hearing these names from his elder martial sister, he had absolutely no understanding of Corpse Refinement!

He was a complete layman.

Just like a cultivator who doesn’t understand Formations pondering issues of Formation based on experience.

He was also just speculating on the categories of Corpse Refinement based on imagination.

It’s very easy to assume things when a layman tries to consider an expert’s problems.

Is there a distinction in quality among refined corpses?

Are gold, silver, copper, and iron grades, or types?

What are the effects and taboos of different corpses?

He understood all of this vaguely...

Dealing with ordinary Walking Corpses and Iron Corpses, his superficial knowledge might suffice.

But Lu Chengyun was clearly using a more ”high-end” method of Corpse Refinement, and half-baked experience might not reveal anything...

And so Mo Hua was concerned again.

Practice brings true knowledge.

But he certainly couldn’t just learn Corpse Refinement and then refine corpses himself just to understand these things…

Mo Hua thought about it and felt that it was impossible for him to actually refine corpses.

But it might be necessary to steal some books on Corpse Refinement from corpse cultivators and read them when he had the time, to understand both himself and the enemy.

The cultivation world is perilous.

Cultivators need to possess various kinds of knowledge to survive in the cultivation world.

Some things can be left undone, but not unknown.

Otherwise, once you face a ”knowledge barrier,” no matter how intelligent you are, it’s useless, and you might even outwit yourself, sealing your own fate, dying without knowing how you died.

Mo Hua nodded slightly, then attempted to open the bronze coffin.

The bronze coffin was divided into an outer coffin and an inner casket; inside the casket was Corpse Refinement.

He would only open the coffin and not the casket; like Lu Chengyun, the risk should be minimal.

But Mo Hua had not anticipated that he wouldn’t even be able to open the outer coffin.

The entire bronze coffin seemed to be sealed shut.

After several attempts, Mo Hua failed to open it and couldn’t tell whether the bronze coffin was sealed by a Formation or locking mechanism.

Mo Hua sighed.

This trip yielded some gains, but they were less than he had hoped for.

He had thoroughly studied the Formation of Ten Thousand Corpses.

But as for what was offered on the altar or what was sealed in the bronze coffin, it was still unclear.

”It seems... I need to think of another way...”

Mo Hua’s gaze shifted slightly as he silently mused.