The Quest for Immortality

Mo Hua was finally satisfied, slowly closing his eyes. After a while, a gentle breathing sound was heard.

In the deep darkness, filled with sinister despair, amidst the Great Wilderness Prison coveted by evil spirits, Mo Hua simply covered himself with a small blanket and slept soundly...

...

In a secret room of the Evil God Temple.

Mr. Tu was in close conversation with Shangguan Wang.

”I hope, Mr. Tu, that you will not go back on your word about our agreement. Once everything is done, and if we receive...” Shangguan Wang paused, then reluctantly addressed him with due respect, ”if we receive the favor of the ’Divine Lord’, I wish to be granted immortality...”

Mr. Tu confidently replied, ”Naturally.”

Shangguan Wang’s face was sullen, seeming troubled, and he confirmed once more:

”People pursue the Dao, enduring countless tribulations and dangers, only to have a faint possibility of ascension to immortality.”

”Immortals live as long as heaven and earth, they shine as brightly as the sun and moon, and that is the way to eternal life.”

”Yet I, being only in the Feather Transformation realm, am far from an Immortal—by believing in the ’Divine Lord’, can I truly achieve immortality?”

Mr. Tu spoke softly, ”Elder Wang, do you know how long I’ve lived?”

Shangguan Wang’s expression slightly eased, giving a slight nod, but then he thought of another question and asked:

”By believing in the Divine Lord and achieving immortality, will I still retain my sanity?”

This was his greatest concern; he did not want to lose his sanity and become a bloodthirsty beast after gaining immortality.

Instead of reassuring Shan Guanwang, Mr. Tu mocked, ”What is the use of sanity?”

Shan Guanwang’s expression changed.

Mr. Tu placed his hand on Shangguan Wang’s shoulder, speaking calmly:

”Elder Wang, do you really think that there is such a thing as ’sanity’ in this world?”

”People sometimes do things more insane than beasts in pursuit of desires; can that be called sanity?”

”Driven by fame and fortune, lust for power and materialistic desires, even to the point of self-destruction, are these acts of sanity?”

Shangguan Wang’s brow twitched slightly.

”People have always lived by their greed and ignorance, driven by their desires and wants, not by sanity.” Mr. Tu continued slowly, ”If that’s the case, what is the meaning of sanity?”

”Whether driven by fame and fortune or by the will of the Divine Lord, what is the difference?”

”Believing in fame and fortune, after hundreds of years, the inevitable end is as mere dust.”

”But with faith in the Divine Lord, even in the face of a great calamity, one can change form, transcend the physical, and achieve immortality.”

”In your place, which would you choose?”

Shangguan Wang remained silent, but the wild ambition in his eyes grew increasingly crazed and fearless, clearly showing that he had made up his mind.

Mr. Tu gave a slight nod.

”How much longer?” Shangguan Wang asked, ”When will the Divine Lord be resurrected?”

Usually composed, Mr. Tu frowned, feeling frustrated.

Everything had been meticulously planned.

The Large Formation, the Divine Fetus, the offerings... everything was set in place.

Yet, due to unexpected events at the Sword Discussion Conference, he had to activate the formation ahead of time, leading to the Shen Family erasing a perfectly preserved and cultivated fleshly corpse, nurtured over centuries.

And now, there were issues with the offerings.

Those sect prodigies were originally trapped and could soon be raised like ”Gu” insects, ensuring the strongest would emerge through battles and Dao heart transformations to become followers for the Divine Lord’s resurrection.

But at the crucial moment, they were all saved by that damned Taoist Court Officer and that Gu Changhuai.

The Evil Formation Masters were also slaughtered in large numbers.

All these unfavorable events, combined, severely delayed the progress of activating his Desolate Heaven Blood Sacrifice Formation.

It also significantly postponed the day of the Divine Lord’s resurrection and return to the world.

These matters, Shangguan Wang, being among them, could perceive to some extent, so he coldly said:

”I have always felt that these unfavorable events suggest someone is secretly obstructing us.”

Mr. Tu nodded slightly, his expression indifferent:

”Since the beginning of capturing the Divine Fetus of the Shangguan Family, I had a premonition that there was a peculiar ’shadow’ existing, always vaguely present, hindering the great plan of resurrecting the Divine Lord...”

However, this shadow’s actions in various incidents left him puzzled.

At times, he felt this person’s realm must be high, as only those of high cultivation could participate in this game; but then again, he wondered if the cultivation was not very strong, or else many things could have been achieved effortlessly, without needing such elaborate schemes.

At times, he thought this person must be a manipulator behind the scenes, orchestrating from the shadows, yet then again wondered if this person was just a vanguard, a ”executioner” ordered to slay demons and foes.

He sometimes believed that this person must be an ancient monster having cultivated for hundreds or even thousands of years.

But then again felt this person might just be a fledgling newcomer...

Whenever Mr. Tu thought about it, his mind would become very confused.

Even the Divine Lord couldn’t offer him a clearer revelation.

He even wished he could devour more cultivators’ brains during every meal to make his thoughts clearer.

Currently, the only clue pointed to Mo Hua.

According to his speculation, Mo Hua must have a close connection to this seemingly non-existent yet omnipresent ”shadow”.

”Mo Hua...”

”That Mo Hua...” Shangguan Wang’s eyes flickered, speaking solemnly, ”In my opinion, it’s best to kill him to avoid complications.”

Mr. Tu shook his head, ”I have great use for him.”

Shangguan Wang frowned, ”For what purpose?”

Mr. Tu did not wish to answer, but given Shangguan Wang’s critical role, he could not afford to lose his allegiance.

Mr. Tu said, ”The karma surrounding him is immense and profound, not to be acted upon recklessly.”

”Once a person dies like a lamp going out, all karma vanishes,” Shangguan Wang’s gaze was icy.

”His identity is special, a high position, highly favored by the Taixu Ancestor...”

”You do not understand the Taixu Gate, nor the Taixu Ancestor of the Taixu Gate.” Shangguan Wang shook his head, ”Taixu Gate’s reputation may not be notable before, yet they inherit the transformation of Divine Thought into a sword, uphold righteousness, clearly distinguish right from wrong, and never bargain with Demon Cultivators.”

”No matter how favored he may be, exceptions are impossible.”

”In fact, should he fall to darkness, the first act of the Taixu Gate would be to painfully clean their sect...”

Being an Elder of the Shangguan Family, with deep connections to the Three Tai Xu Sects, Shangguan Wang had a profound understanding of the Taixu Gate’s ways.

Mr. Tu added, ”Too many Evil Formation Masters have died, delaying the completion of the formation.”

Shangguan Wang frowned, ”You wish to have this boy draw formations for you, to perfect the Blood Sacrifice Formation?”

Mr. Tu neither affirmed nor denied.

Shangguan Wang said, ”But he is just one person.”

”You saw what happened at the Sword Discussion Conference,” Mr. Tu said. ”He alone, with Divine Sense Control Ink, drew formations on the ground, completing them with unprecedented speed, equivalent to... no, even surpassing several dozens of top-tier Second Grade Formation Masters.”

Shangguan Wang contemplated for a moment but still shook his head, ”We still have Formation Masters on our side. If the formation advances a bit slower, so be it, but we’d avoid risks best not undertaken.”

No matter what, Shan Guanwang was resolved to kill Mo Hua.

First, because of his poor relationship with Mo Hua, who bore grudges unendingly.

Second, because he had now turned from light to dark, converting to the Great Wilderness God Master. Should Mo Hua later be assimilated by Mr. Tu and convert to the Divine Lord, his position before the Great Wilderness God Master could never surpass that of Mo Hua, a prodigy in Divine Sense and Formation Art.

Despite his Feather Transformation realm, his status wouldn’t be low.

But Mo Hua is already a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, just a step away from the Golden Core, and the Divine Lord possesses ten thousand evil methods to help Mo Hua achieve Core Formation quickly.

By then, a Golden Core Realm cultivator, having fallen to the Demon Path, armed with evil formation support and monstrous talent in formations, under the protection of the Great Wilderness God Master, would be truly rampant. Even his Feather Transformation level would have to shy away.

This would cause all his original plans to go to waste.

Thus, he had no reservations about his murderous intent towards Mo Hua.

Mr. Tu saw this clearly, though he didn’t necessarily aim to preserve Mo Hua’s life, but Mo Hua possessed a subtle aura that strangely deterred him from acting simply.

”I suspect, implanted within him... by an unknown expert...”

Mr. Tu paused, eyes narrowing, speaking slowly:

”A special Eternal Life Rune...”