The Quest for Immortality

The Xie family’s mansion had been thoroughly inspected, both visibly and otherwise.

Once everything was done here, the Xie family’s residence was no place for an extended stay.

Mo Hua then followed Gu Changhuai to leave.

As they reached the entrance, Mo Hua suddenly remembered something and pulled out a flask of wine from his storage bag.

However, it was fruit wine, which seemed rather inappropriate.

So, Mo Hua raised his head and asked Gu Changhuai, ”Uncle Gu, do you have any strong liquor?”

Gu Changhuai was taken aback, nodded, and said, ”Yes.”

Then, without asking further, he took out an exquisite jade flask from his storage bag and handed it to Mo Hua.

A strong aroma of liquor dispersed into the air.

Mo Hua poured the flask of strong liquor over the doorstep of the Xie family’s home.

The images of the Xie family members, slaughtered like ”livestock” and dying tragic deaths, their bodies grotesquely mutated, surfaced in his mind...

Mo Hua silently said in his heart:

”Rest in peace...”

”I will ensure that Fire Buddha will join you in your burial...”

...

On the way back, Mo Hua sat in the carriage, kept silent, and furrowed his brows in contemplation:

Why did Fire Buddha kill the entire Xie family?

What did he do after slaughtering them all?

What was the black residue?

Why does it have the aura of the Great Wilderness Evil God?

What’s the connection between this matter and the one who claims to be ”Master of the Great Wilderness”?

A sacrifice?

Were the cultivators of the Xie family treated as offerings?

Are those Sin Cultivators under Fire Buddha the servants of the Master of the Great Wilderness?

But what exactly is the ritual of this sacrifice?

And that ”fleeting as the bloom of a night-blooming cereus,” the poppy-like, black and purple, exceedingly ugly yet decaying, soaked in depraved desires, the effect of Heavenly Secret Karma he once witnessed...

Could it also be related to this matter?

The most puzzling thing was the Taoist Demon...

Mo Hua initially thought that ”Taoist Demons” could only emerge in destitute places where low-ranking cultivators suffered persecution, giving rise to despair and sin.

But unexpectedly, signs of a Taoist Demon appeared near the prosperous Qianxue State Boundary, a place known for its devotion to the scholarly pursuit of Tao Cultivation.

Moreover, it seemed...

Nobody had realized it.

Was it because the Qianxue region had fallen out of the Heavenly Secret Calculation, leaving no cultivator able to predict it?

Or was it due to greedy desires blinding them, being too obsessed with fame and fortune to see it?

Or perhaps, was the Heavenly Secret obscured?

Just like that sea of flames, which concealed some of Fire Buddha’s actions, was the matter of the Taoist Demon also covered up by someone?

Mo Hua’s eyebrows locked tightly, the more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed, and the more riddles filled his mind, leaving his thoughts in utter chaos...

After pondering for a long time, he began to feel a headache.

This time his Divine Sense really had become a bit overtaxed...

Mo Hua then cleared his mind, lay on the soft blanket, and looked at the scenery outside the carriage, thinking about nothing.

Eventually, the answers would be revealed step by step.

To start with capturing ”Fire Buddha”...

He had promised those tragically deceased cultivators of the Xie family that he would have Fire Buddha join them in their burial.

Although all the cultivators from the Xie family were dead, their bodies and Remnant Souls vanished, knowing nothing anymore.

But since he had said it, he needed to follow through.

Mo Hua nodded slightly, his eyes resolute.

On the other side, Gu Changhuai also silently observed Mo Hua.

Having brought Mo Hua along was a choice made of necessity, but to his surprise, Mo Hua had indeed found some clues that even he, a Dao Court Canon, had missed.

This child...

Was it because of his young age and the purity of a child’s heart that his thoughts differed from those of ordinary people?

Or was he inherently sharp-witted, with a meticulous mind and keen Divine Sense?

Or perhaps...

It was some other reason...

Gu Changhuai had many doubts in his heart.

He realized that he could no longer treat Mo Hua as just a simple, ten-year-old child.

The same was true for the matter of Yu Er.

Although reluctant to admit it, this child might indeed be able to see some unknown secrets that ordinary cultivators could not...

Since that was the case...

Gu Changhuai’s slender fingers gently tapped on the table, and after contemplating for a moment, he gradually formed a plan in his heart...

...

As evening approached, the sun began to set.

When twilight descended, the sunset was like spilled ink, staining the sky with a myriad of colors.

Mo Hua and company finally returned to the Gu residence.

Wenren Wan was waiting at the entrance; seeing that Mo Hua appeared tired but was unharmed in limb and body, she then relaxed.

Afterward, she chided Gu Changhuai:

”Why so late?”

”Mo Hua’s break is only two days; he has classes and cultivation practice tomorrow. What if his studies are delayed?”

”As an adult, how can you still lack such judgment...”

Gu Changhuai wore a helpless expression and sighed.

Ever since he was a child staying at his cousin’s house, he had often been scolded by her.

Now, being over a hundred years old, a Golden Core Great Cultivator, a Dao Court Court Official, he still couldn’t avoid it...

Mo Hua tried to make excuses for him: ”Aunt Wan, it’s my fault, I played around too much, which caused us to be late...”

Mo Hua looked apologetic.

Wenren Wan patted Mo Hua’s shoulder, ”It’s not your fault...”

Then she glanced at Gu Changhuai again, ”See, a child like Mo Hua knows better than you do...”

Gu Changhuai’s face showed a bitter smile.

Mo Hua felt helpless and gave him an ’I can’t help you’ expression.

Aunt Wan only caught Uncle Gu to reprimand, and he couldn’t assist.

The group then had dinner together.

Wenren Wan had prepared many delicious dishes, and both Mo Hua and Yu Er ate joyfully, while Gu Changhuai sullenly sat to the side.

After dinner was done, it was getting late, and Wenren Wan decided to personally send the two children back to the Taixu Gate.

Gu Changhuai said, ”Sister, let me do it.”

Wenren Wan gave Gu Changhuai a look, and said with a softened tone, ”You go rest, the business of the Dao Court is hectic; don’t overwork yourself.”