The Quest for Immortality

This is the secret treasure of the Great Wilderness royal family, the entrance to the Taoist Repository of the Great Wilderness. Once discovered, it will certainly stir up a bloody storm, causing endless trouble for oneself.

Moreover, privately possessing a Dragon Vein...

”The Taoist Court won’t accuse me of ’rebellion,’ will they?”

”The Great Wilderness is a Karma Dragon’s place, and its vein belongs to the Karma Dragon, not a True Dragon, so I suppose not...”

Mo Hua felt a bit uneasy in his heart.

After all, he was innocent and had never thought of rebelling.

Mo Hua thought about it, then wrapped the Dragon Vein in a black cloth and put it away carefully.

The next morning, he went to visit Elder Master Xun and ”handed over” the Dragon Vein.

Mo Hua knew well that since he brought something into the Sect, Elder Master Xun was surely aware of it. But for his sake, he chose to turn a blind eye.

This was Elder Master Xun’s trust.

But he also needed to know his limits and not overstep them.

For now, this Dragon Vein was beyond his control, so it was better to hand it over to the Sect.

Sure enough, once Elder Master Xun saw the black cloth handed over by Mo Hua, he understood what was inside without even opening it.

”Got tired of playing with it?”

Mo Hua felt a bit embarrassed, ”Couldn’t figure it out...”

Elder Master Xun nodded, ”Then I’ll keep it for you. Whenever you’re capable of understanding it, you can come and ask for it back.”

Mo Hua felt grateful but also a bit apprehensive, so he whispered:

”Elder Master, would keeping this Dragon Vein ourselves lead to any trouble with the Taoist Court?”

Elder Master Xun raised an eyebrow, ”No worries, what fault can the Taoist Court find? The dragons of this world aren’t theirs alone.”

”Besides, you haven’t skinned a True Dragon, nor extracted its tendons, nor refined its Dragon Vein. You picked up a Karma Dragon’s Vein; the Taoist Court wouldn’t trouble you for that.”

”Moreover, only the heavens and earth know, you know, and I know.”

”This Dragon Vein is kept in our Taixu Gate; the Taoist Court is unaware, so there won’t be trouble.”

Mo Hua felt relieved, grinning as he said to Elder Master Xun, ”Then I’ll entrust it to you, Elder Master.”

Elder Master Xun waved his hand, ”You can rest easy. Focus on your cultivation.”

”Yes.”

Mo Hua nodded with a smile, bowed, and took his leave.

Elder Master Xun shook his head helplessly. As he turned to look at the Dragon Vein in front of him, its aura seemed slightly weakened, and he couldn’t help but wonder:

”I wonder what this child has been studying...”

...

After leaving Elder Master Xun, Mo Hua continued his cultivation as usual.

A few days later, during a break, he headed out to Kushan Mountain.

Having largely dealt with the matters of Solitary Mountain City and the Dragon Vein, Mo Hua finally had time for this trip.

He intended to return Lord Yellow Mountain’s ”Lifebound Divine Statue” to its rightful owner.

This was per the instructions of Lord Yellow Mountain.

When entrusted by someone, fulfill their tasks.

Since he agreed, he naturally had to see it through.

Not to mention, before dying, Lord Yellow Mountain had given him a generous gift.

Since it was a long journey, Xun Ziyou naturally had to accompany him.

Mo Hua placed the statue, invisible and undetectable to others, on Xun Ziyou’s back.

The two rode in a carriage all the way to Kushan Mountain.

The mountain was tranquil, with dense forest growth.

Fallen leaves formed a thick carpet, layering from the mountain’s base to its peak.

The two ascended, stepping on the soft and crunchy leaves until they reached the abandoned temple.

Mo Hua said, ”Elder Xun, this is as far as I’ll go. I’ll go in alone.” .

Xun Ziyou glanced at the deserted mountain, with a desolate temple standing empty, and furrowed his brow.

”Are you going alone?”

Mo Hua nodded, ”I’m going to visit an old friend.”

”An old friend?” Xun Ziyou was puzzled.

”Yes,” Mo Hua whispered, ”My friend is a bit shy and doesn’t like being disturbed. Don’t tell anyone about this temple’s location, Elder Xun.”

Xun Ziyou nodded skeptically.

Mo Hua found it a bit strange.

But Mo Hua was always known for his peculiarities, so doing something odd was not that surprising.

It just made Xun Ziyou sigh inwardly; Mo Hua did know a lot of people, his network was indeed vast.

Just...

Xun Ziyou glanced at the empty temple and wondered: doesn’t this count as a ”network” of people?

Meanwhile, Mo Hua, already carrying the statue, walked into the abandoned temple.

This Lifebound Divine Statue was somewhat heavy, but fortunately, Elder Xun had carried it most of the way, leaving Mo Hua just a short distance to bear.

Upon entering the temple, Mo Hua glanced up and saw Lord Yellow Mountain in the clay sculpture.

It remained obediently within the ruined temple.

It had no choice, given its condition, it couldn’t exactly go visiting.

There were no visitors.

If there were, Lord Yellow Mountain would not be happy about it anyway.

In a desolate mountain wilderness, full of wolves, insects, tigers, and leopards, with wandering spirits and ghosts, what kind of ”guests” could such a run-down Mountain God expect?

Lord Yellow Mountain’s expression was equally complex.

A few days ago, amid the usually solitary and unchanging poverty-stricken monotony of his life, inexplicably came a sense of foreboding.

He knew for sure that something big was about to happen again.

Worried, he fretted for a long time, feeling restless, his food tasteless, even the stale buns no longer seemed stale.

Today, with the sun shining nicely, when Lord Yellow Mountain raised his head, sure enough, Mo Hua, his ”Little Ancestor,” was back.

Lord Yellow Mountain, as usual, floated out from the clay sculpture, wearing a kindly smile as he greeted Mo Hua with cupped hands.

”I hope all is well with you, my young friend. What brings you back to visit this Minor God’s poor temple?”

Mo Hua placed the statue on the ground.