The Quest for Immortality

A desire began to grow in the heart.

Sword Bone still spoke respectfully, pretending to be nonchalant: ”There are only two ways to enter the Demon Refining Diagram, as far as I know.”

”One is to suffer extreme torture and die miserably in front of the Demon Refining Diagram. Before the physical body perishes, the extreme pain stimulates the Divine Thought, causing some kind of mutation, allowing entry into the Demon Refining Diagram after leaving the body, to endure even greater punishment...”

”This is the dual suffering of the physical body and Divine Thought, accompanied by death, akin to the agony of purgatory, so the monster cultivators of the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons dread the Demon Refining Diagram.”

”The other way is sacrifice...”

Mo Hua was startled, ”Sacrifice?”

”Exactly,” Sword Bone nodded, ”Through a certain type of ritual, a person can be sacrificed to the Demon Refining Diagram.”

”But I have never seen this ’ritual,’ nor do I know the specific method.”

”Within the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons, ’sacrifices’ are rare, and ordinary monster cultivators aren’t qualified for sacrifices...”

Mo Hua frowned.

This was troublesome.

He couldn’t enter the Demon Refining Diagram.

If he were to endure torture, he would lose his life, possibly in unbearable pain as well.

If it were to be a sacrifice, he didn’t know the sacrificial methods, nor was there anyone to take him as a ’sacrifice.’

He was hungry, and there was food in the pot, but the lid was on, keeping it out of reach.

Mo Hua felt a bit uncomfortable.

”Let’s look around nearby. Maybe there are other clues, allowing me to ’infiltrate’ the Demon Refining Diagram quietly...”

As Mo Hua’s Divine Thought moved slightly, he had an idea, reluctantly glanced at the Demon Refining Diagram, and then silently turned to leave.

But just several zhang away, a faint strange sound suddenly reached his ears.

Mo Hua turned his head to look, concentrating to listen closely.

It was then he realized it was the sound from within the Demon Refining Diagram.

It was like all kinds of demon monsters shouting together, chaotic and noisy, filled with arrogance, along with a trace of disdain and scorn.

It seemed to be mocking Mo Hua.

Mo Hua’s gaze turned slightly cold.

”A bunch of wretches, wait until I enter, I’ll personally count your heads.”

...

After Mo Hua left quietly, he began to stroll around the surroundings.

The Demon Refining Diagram was such a large mural, appearing mysterious, but at its core, it was a type of Taoist architecture.

Using the mural as media, the formation as the bones, and the Divine Soul as the guide.

However, the means were a bit bloody and malevolent, involving some unknown formation domains.

But the basic process wouldn’t change.

Constructing this diagram required a lot of manpower, numerous materials, and required a complete formation to be built.

This was a long-term project.

According to his experience and habits as a Formation Master from constructing large formations, there must be secret chambers nearby for Formation Masters to do Formation Painting.

According to Elder Xun Zixian’s speculation.

The formation construction in the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons was an overall entity, and the Divine Tao Array within the valley was a complete inheritance.

And on this Demon Refining Diagram, there was the Divine Tao Array.

It was highly likely that this Demon Refining Diagram was the centerpiece of the entire Valley of Ten Thousand Demons.

The Divine Tao Array was the core of the entire Demon Refining Diagram.

If he found a way to obtain the Divine Tao Formation Diagram and learn the inheritance of the Divine Tao Array, he would most likely unlock the secrets of the Demon Refining Diagram and thus control the entire Valley of Ten Thousand Demons.

Of course, this was only speculation.

What exactly was the inheritance of the Divine Tao Array?

What role did the Demon Refining Diagram play as the centerpiece of the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons...

There should be profound and possibly sophisticated mystical principles of formation here, awaiting his research and exploration.

”I should be able to learn something good...”

Mo Hua nodded.

He circled the giant mural of the Demon Refining Diagram twice nearby, finally finding a suspicious place.

This was a magnificent Stone Palace.

The palace had a strong presence of formations.

With one glance, Mo Hua could tell this was the formation stone palace of the entire Valley of Ten Thousand Demons.

It was generally used to store formation media, accumulate formation Mo, design formation diagrams, and serve as a place for Formation Masters to research, rest, and paint formations.

At this time, the main door was tightly closed with a lock, and it seemed there was no one inside.

Moreover, there were no monster cultivators guarding outside.

It seemed just like the Demon Refining Diagram, this formation stone palace was also a ’Forbidden Land’ for monster cultivators.

”Should I go inside and have a look?”

Mo Hua felt a stirring in his heart.

He released his Divine Sense, sensing slightly inside, detecting no presence of living people or monster cultivators inside.

It should be safe.

But it was hard to say, as cultivators’ perception occasionally could not be relied upon either...

Mo Hua thought for a moment and then took out a Copper Coin, using Heavenly Secret Calculation for a divination.

This time, the divination lacked the previously felt clarity of understanding cause and effect, sensing the heavenly secret.

He did not see the vast grand scene of all cause and effect merging into a heavenly secret, flowing as if a river through the heavens and earth.

There was only a slight touch of cause and effect.

The movement was very minimal.

Perhaps the ’novice benefits’ were gone; for future calculations, it would depend on his own understanding of the heavenly secret.

But this was also good.

Always making such a big commotion, he wasn’t too comfortable himself either.

The Copper Coin turned in the air, landing on the palm.

It was heads.

That meant there was no danger inside.

Mo Hua couldn’t help but look forward, ”This Heavenly Secret Calculation is really useful. If I truly achieve insight into the heavenly secret, controlling cause and effect, avoiding misfortune and seeking fortune like my master, how powerful that would be...”

He put away the Copper Coin and approached the main gate of the Stone Palace.

The main door had a massive beast-shaped lock, engraved with a Four Symbols canine-tooth Pattern.

Sword Bone said: ”This is a special formation lock within the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons. With this formation lock sealing the main gate, you can’t go in, it’s better to find another...”

But before it could finish, Mo Hua had already started to push the door.

The main door opened effortlessly.

Sword Bone was taken aback, and upon closer inspection, it found that the formation on the lock had been completely unlocked.