Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 654: Water Poison

Mo Hua was calculating in his heart.

First of all—he couldn't kill Fire Buddha.

Unless there was a top-grade formation here, one that would let him explode himself while trapping Fire Buddha inside… and even then, he'd have to finish drawing the Inverse Spirit Formation in time to blast Fire Buddha to death.

Otherwise, even if Fire Buddha just stood there like a sandbag, letting Mo Hua wail on him till his spiritual energy dried up, he still might not die.

The gap in cultivation was just too great.

So the only option left was—"borrow a blade to kill."

Borrow Uncle Gu's blade, to slay Fire Buddha, this demonic cultivator.

As long as Fire Buddha was dead, Mo Hua figured Uncle Gu wouldn't mind being "used as a weapon" either.

"I'm helping him too, right?"

Mo Hua glanced toward the two who were still locked in fierce combat.

Gu Changhuai's cultivation was indeed stronger than Fire Buddha's, but he had to suppress it—making his strikes feel restricted and awkward.

Fire Buddha, on the other hand, could go all out. He unleashed spells recklessly and without restraint.

Flames roared, covering the mountains and ridges.

Fire Buddha's cultivation was at the peak of Foundation Establishment, likely just one step from the Golden Core realm.

And with two flaming hearts in his chest fueling his spiritual energy, he was actually not much weaker than Gu Changhuai.

He'd even taken a blood pill earlier, restoring both his vitality and spiritual energy.

Meanwhile, his Slaughter Qi, though it couldn't frighten Gu Changhuai, still subtly messed with his mind—making him emotionally unstable and agitated.

If this went on, the outcome was far from certain…

Mo Hua thought a moment, then began sneaking closer to the two in battle, carefully concealing his presence.

"First, I'll break his Slaughter Qi…"

He pondered silently.

Slaughter Qi didn't seem to work on him.

His divine sense had transformed. His will had been tempered through countless battles. He'd devoured ghosts, corpses, demons—he wasn't going to be shaken by some bloodthirsty aura.

But Uncle Gu was different.

He wasn't a formation master. His divine sense was strong, yes, but untested. It lacked that sharpened edge—so it could be affected by Slaughter Qi. That would make him restless, and ultimately, weaken him.

Break the Slaughter Qi, and Fire Buddha would weaken. Uncle Gu would gain the upper hand.

And the key to breaking it… lay in the eyes.

That was Mo Hua's guess.

He still didn't fully understand what Slaughter Qi was.

But based on his studies of divine sense, spiritual will, and karmic resonance…

If Slaughter Qi could induce fear, it had to be something between "worldly qi" and "conscious thought."

To transform killing intent into Slaughter Qi—it had to involve some karmic rule.

In Mo Hua's perception, all of Fire Buddha's fire spells were laced with Slaughter Qi. That matched what he had said earlier: "Turn slaughter into Qi; refine it with spells…"

But he still had to rely on cultivating Buddhism to suppress that Slaughter Qi, or it would bite back and disrupt his divine sense.

So that meant Slaughter Qi was definitely related to spiritual will.

Divine sense resides in the Sea of Consciousness.

The eyes are the windows of spiritual will.

Thus, the part where Slaughter Qi gathered the most and fluctuated the strongest—was the eyes.

Mo Hua sneaked another glance at Fire Buddha's eyes.

His eyes burned with flames, within which swirled thick, murky grey smoke. Just looking at them made one feel instinctively afraid.

A typical cultivator, under that gaze, would likely feel overwhelming fear—becoming prey.

Even Gu Changhuai didn't dare stare too long into those flaming eyes—clearly wary of them.

Mo Hua waited patiently for an opportunity.

On the battlefield, the duel continued. Rain of fire and blades of wind crisscrossed the air.

Gu Changhuai used the Soaring Wind Feather Technique, waving his folding fan to launch wave after wave of wind blades toward Fire Buddha.

But all the blades were blocked within ten feet of Fire Buddha.

A "fire wall" emerged—bricks of flame crisscrossed with golden lines, forming what looked like a massive flaming kasaya.

This seemed to be a defensive enchantment from Fire Buddha's actual kasaya robes.

The wall neutralized most of the blades.

The rest he dodged with his body techniques—though they weren't particularly agile.

And his kasaya did have openings.

After about a dozen more exchanges…

Mo Hua finally spotted a flaw.

Fire Buddha had just blocked several dozen wind blades with the fire wall, then dodged a few more. At that moment, his spiritual energy hadn't fully cycled, and his footwork had just paused—

Mo Hua pointed a finger.

A burst of dazzling golden light shot out, striking Fire Buddha straight in the eyes.

It was a basic spell: Golden Light Art.

Mo Hua had picked it up from milking some criminal cultivators. It was simple enough that he had casually learned it.

He still remembered Elder Yi from the Great Void Sect, who had taught him:

"All techniques flow as one. Mastery lies in the heart."

That was the essence of "universal spell mastery."

Spells weren't just about brute force—they were about utility.

This Golden Light Art wasn't powerful, but it held pure metallic spiritual energy. Blinding.

Against flesh? Tickled.

But against eyes? Brutal.

A spell for targeting weak points—a sinister one.

Fire Buddha never expected anyone else to be in the altar.

Let alone a sneak attack.

Even if he had sensed it, with spiritual energy paused and movement halted—he couldn't dodge.

Mo Hua's spell was also extremely fast.

Fire Buddha's eyes were instantly hit—blood tears streamed down his cheeks. Every blink was agony. His vision blurred.

The eerie Slaughter Qi around him also dispersed noticeably.

Fire Buddha was shocked and furious.

"What cowardly rat dares launch a sneak attack?!"

He tried sweeping the area with divine sense—but all he found was Gu Changhuai's stormy aura. Nothing else.

"No one?"

His heart trembled.

Gu Changhuai also narrowed his eyes, alert.

That spell… was it Golden Light Art?

Mo Hua?

He swept his divine sense—sure enough, in a corner nearby, he vaguely picked up a small, sneaky figure.

Even with Golden Core-level divine sense, all he could see was a blurry outline.

Gu Changhuai was stunned.

"This kid… knows that spell too?"

"And he timed it perfectly…"

He paused. Then, noticing the dissipating Slaughter Qi, he understood Mo Hua's intention.

His eyes turned cold. Without hesitation, he surged his power and unleashed another volley at Fire Buddha.

In a battle this close, even the smallest factor could flip the outcome.

Now that Mo Hua had intervened—the balance was broken.

A veteran like Gu Changhuai didn't need instructions. He knew what to do.

"As long as I suppress Fire Buddha, Mo Hua will be safe."

If not, with Mo Hua's tiny frame, a single stray spell from Fire Buddha could end him.

That thought lit a fire in Gu Changhuai.

His aura surged. Wind blades poured down like rain, whistling through the air.

Fire Buddha instantly felt the pressure double.

He tried spreading his divine sense again to find the "cowardly attacker," but Gu Changhuai's relentless barrage left him no breathing room—no chance to get distracted.

Mo Hua nodded.

"As expected of Uncle Gu. Doesn't need a single word to catch on."

Fire Buddha's eyes stung terribly.

Though his powerful cultivation and rapid healing let him recover his vision quickly—he could no longer gather Slaughter Qi through his eyes.

Each attempt to channel it made his eyes feel like they were being stabbed with needles.

Worse still…

"He keeps sneak attacking!"

Every time he tried to gather Slaughter Qi in his eyes—bam, a blinding golden flash would slam into his pupils.

"Son of a—!"

Fire Buddha's rage boiled.

Without Slaughter Qi, Gu Changhuai lost his hesitation—and he gained the edge.

Still… he could fight.

In a death match, anything could happen. No one could call the winner until the end.

Fire Buddha's killing intent surged.

"I'll kill Gu Changhuai…"

"And even if I can't—I'll find and butcher that sneaky little rat!"

Judging by the spell's power, the attacker was probably just early-stage Foundation Establishment.

He didn't know how the brat was hiding, but if he dared show his face—he'd be burned alive by Falling Fire!

Fire Buddha sneered coldly.

Then he resumed his fierce battle with Gu Changhuai.

But the longer they fought, the more Fire Buddha sensed something was wrong.

There were other spells in play...

Not just Golden Light Art, but also Water Prison, Quicksand, and various other elemental spells—fast, accurate, and precisely timed, slipping in through openings like sneaky little daggers in the dark.

These spells weren't powerful, and due to their low grade, their control effects were limited.

But limited or not, they still worked.

Every time Fire Buddha tried to dodge or counter one of Gu Changhuai's attacks, these disgusting little spells would interfere just enough to throw him off rhythm.

He was beyond annoyed, silently cursing in his heart:

"What kind of despicable bastard is this?"

"Won't even learn proper spells, just this weird, nasty junk..."

"Good thing these are all low-grade spells. If they were any stronger—"

Just as that thought crossed his mind, his foot suddenly sank, and the ground trembled beneath him.

He looked down—and his pupils contracted.

At some unknown point, a patch of ink had seeped across the ground, drawing itself into intricate, dirt-gray runes that joined together into—

"A formation?!"

Fire Buddha was stunned.

"Where did this come from?!"

The ground had been completely clear just moments ago—how had an entire formation appeared out of nowhere?!

It was like some invisible ghost had drawn it right under his feet…

And judging by the pattern—it was a mid-grade Tier-2 formation?!

Fire Buddha's heart sank.

A mid-grade Tier-2 formation was already enough to threaten late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.

He tried to move and escape with his body technique, but in that very moment, a gray light flashed beneath him. Spiritual energy surged—

The formation activated.

Rocky pillars jutted upward, forming a prison that trapped Fire Buddha in place.

Eight Trigram Gen-Mountain Trapping Array!

This array was designed to trap late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators. While it didn't last long, it could still restrict movement for about five or six seconds.

At that moment, Gu Changhuai seized the chance. He poured spiritual power into his fan, unleashing hundreds of wind blades, like a storm of arrows, all targeting Fire Buddha.

Fire Buddha had no choice but to grit his teeth, spread open his kasaya, and form a defensive wall of fire.

The wind blades clashed with the fire wall—spiritual power exploded in bursts and waves.

But there were just too many wind blades.

The fire wall couldn't hold.

Moments later, it was shattered under the relentless assault, and the remaining wind blades engulfed Fire Buddha completely.

Where the blades hit, stone shattered, smoke billowed.

When the dust finally cleared, Fire Buddha was exposed.

His figure looked extremely battered. His kasaya was covered in slashes, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth—but his aura had not weakened significantly.

Mo Hua saw this and couldn't help sighing:

"Man, this Fire Buddha is really tanky…"

Such deep demonic power, plus the crazy defense of that kasaya...

After all that effort, they still hadn't finished him off.

Little master, there's more to this chapter! Click next page for even more excitement!

Fire Buddha spat out a mouthful of blood and gave a cold, sinister smile:

"So, Gu—didn't expect you brought backup, huh?"

Gu Changhuai didn't reply.

Fire Buddha's eyes narrowed darkly, clearly puzzled.

"When… exactly did you set up this formation…?"

Gu Changhuai's face stayed neutral, but inwardly, he couldn't help thinking:

"How would I know…?"

He hadn't set the formation himself.

He had no idea how or when Mo Hua managed to place that trap right under Fire Buddha's feet.

"That kid's formation tricks are seriously freaky…"

Fire Buddha opened his mouth to say more, but Gu Changhuai was already charging, fan in hand, launching another wave of attacks.

Fire Buddha had no choice but to keep fighting.

But the tide was turning further and further against him.

He had to fight a Golden Core-tier battle official, while also defending against those dirty little surprise spells...

And now, he had to watch his step, lest he trigger another bizarre, invisible array.

"This is a lost cause…"

Fire Buddha realized it instantly.

In a stalemate between cultivators, the slightest variable could become the last straw.

And now?

There were way more than one straw—and they kept piling up.

If this kept going, he'd definitely be screwed over by that sneaky little rat, and die at Gu Changhuai's hands.

"Better to leave some mountains standing than burn all your firewood…"

If he still had strength, he had to get out—now!

Suddenly, Fire Buddha surged with demonic energy, summoning a torrential rain of blood, and charged at Gu Changhuai.

Gu Changhuai's face darkened and was forced to retreat.

Taking that opportunity, Fire Buddha flashed away in a trail of fire, reappearing before the altar.

He reached toward the stone tiles, wanting to retrieve the hidden spell manual—but when he scanned with divine sense—

Nothing. Just empty space.

"Gone?!"

He looked up, scanning the surroundings—then his pupils dilated in horror.

At some unknown point, a complex formation of blue and green spiritual ink had been painted all around him.

This formation looked nothing like the earlier ones—it was clearly far more advanced.

And within the formation, moisture thickened, emitting a water-based aura that faintly suppressed his fire spiritual power.

Fire Buddha's face turned pale.

Mo Hua, meanwhile, had a sparkle in his eye, a victorious smile at his lips.

"Tier-2, Sixteen-Rune—Yimu Water Poison Composite Formation."

This was a formation Mo Hua had carefully prepared, tailored specifically to counter Fire Buddha at a critical moment.

He had exchanged for this array blueprint from the Great Void Sect's Contribution Pavilion.

It was, so far, the most effective formation Mo Hua could learn to restrain Fire Buddha.

What is Yimu Water Poison?

A composite of the Wood (Yimu) and Water elements. Water becomes poisonous, infused into Yimu spiritual energy.

Water overcomes Fire.

Wood gives rise to Fire.

So this "water poison" wasn't literal poison, but cold, clinging water-attribute spiritual energy—difficult to remove, like rot in the bones, as annoying and destructive as poison.

By fusing this "water poison" into Yimu spiritual energy:

One side: Water suppresses Fire, restraining Fire Buddha's demonic flames.

Other side: Wood nurtures Fire, so when Fire Buddha tries to absorb the energy, the "water poison" burrows in deeper, hiding inside his fire power.

This way, the water poison feeds itself endlessly.

And since Water and Fire are incompatible, he would suffer torment from both elements—burning and freezing simultaneously—and it'd be nearly impossible to purge in a short time.

The only downside?

Too slow to draw.

Sixteen-rune Tier-2 composite arrays were beyond Mo Hua's normal divine sense limits.

But his divine sense had undergone qualitative transformation—strong, durable—so with some effort, he could still manage.

It just meant—drawing the formation took longer.

And that increased the risk of Fire Buddha noticing it and dodging early.

Not to mention, Mo Hua's spiritual strength only gave him one shot.

If he failed—everything would go to waste.

So Mo Hua decided to gamble.

He figured Fire Buddha would eventually come back to the altar, trying to retrieve the Falling Fire Technique manual.

So he preemptively drew the array near the stash.

And Fire Buddha didn't disappoint—he came running to get his manual, already tucked safely in Mo Hua's Storage Ring.

The "storage bricks" were empty—except for the ambush.

In the instant Fire Buddha stood frozen in disbelief—

Mo Hua pointed his finger—and detonated the Yimu Water Poison Formation.

Blue water and green wood spiritual energy erupted in an explosion.

Yimu surged. Water poison slithered like twin spirit serpents, fused together—gnawing viciously at Fire Buddha inside the array.

In desperation, Fire Buddha tried activating his kasaya for protection—

But his kasaya was already full of cracks.

The water-wood spiritual power slithered like venomous snakes, biting into his flesh, injecting "spiritual poison" directly into his bloodstream.

Fire Buddha instantly felt a wave of freezing cold sweep over his body.

The clash between water and fire tore through him—it was agonizing.

At the same time, his internal demonic flames, stimulated by the Yimu (乙木) spiritual power, flared up even stronger.

But that Yimu power... was laced with water poison.

The stronger his flames burned, the deeper the poison penetrated.

His face flickered between green, blue, and red, changing colors like some kind of possessed chameleon—it was downright eerie.

Still, as a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator, with a vast reserve of demonic energy, he forcefully suppressed the poison through sheer cultivation power.

He managed to suppress it, yes—but he could still feel it.

His movements became sluggish. His reactions slowed. And the poison… was still quietly eating away at his spiritual power.

Fire Buddha was gripped by both fear and dread.

Little master, there's more coming! Click to the next page for the juicy part!

"Five Elements generating and restraining… formation flow... This… this is master-level formation manipulation…"

"Just who the hell are you?!"

His gaze turned fierce and murderous. At that moment, he finally sensed something—not far away, a faint aura slipped out, likely due to divine sense fatigue.

With a snarl, Fire Buddha clenched his teeth and flung a bolt of fire toward the source.

Earlier, Mo Hua had already drawn multiple formations using spiritual ink and divine sense. Now, after completing the Yimu Water Poison Composite Formation, his divine sense was slightly sluggish, and his concealment technique slipped, giving Fire Buddha a clue.

Well—since he'd been found, no point in hiding anymore.

The firelight blasted apart a boulder—but Mo Hua had already activated "Fleeting Water Step" to dodge and landed gracefully, revealing his figure.

Fire Buddha saw the slim silhouette and frowned.

"A dwarf cultivator?"

As Mo Hua's figure grew clearer, Fire Buddha's pupils suddenly shrank. His eyes flew open.

"No… not a dwarf… a child?!"

And not just any child—

This was someone he recognized!

Instantly, the memory hit him:

The little cultivator at the teahouse outside Bishan City, the one who had seen through their identities!

Fire Buddha's expression froze. He murmured in disbelief:

"How... how is this possible…"

The person who had driven him into a corner with disgusting little spells and high-grade formations… was actually…

That unremarkable little brat at Foundation Establishment stage?!

Is this some kind of sick joke?!

Fire Buddha was visibly shaken.

He locked his gaze onto Mo Hua.

"Your concealment technique… is that Hidden Second's Five Element Vanishing Step? Don't tell me—you took down Hidden Second too?"

Mo Hua beamed and replied:

"What do you think?"

Fire Buddha scowled.

Then he froze. Lowered his eyes. And saw—

Spiritual ink flowing again near his feet. Another formation was being constructed.

Fury boiled up inside him. His face turned deathly pale, killing intent pouring off him like waves. His cultivation mind was on the verge of collapse.

"This little punk… has no shame?!"

"Even while talking, he's still trying to trap me?!"

Indeed, Mo Hua was quietly drawing another formation.

His divine sense recovered quickly, and in the short time they'd spoken, it had already bounced back a little. So he figured—why not multitask while Fire Buddha's flapping his lips?

Sadly, he got caught.

Fire Buddha truly was sharp.

Still suppressing the water poison with effort, Fire Buddha exhaled heavily and vanished in a flash of movement.

Mo Hua sighed and called out:

"Uncle Gu!"

Before the words even finished, Gu Changhuai's wind blades arrived once more.

Even Gu Changhuai's heart was in turmoil.

He had no clue what kind of formation Mo Hua had used…

But Fire Buddha's face was now turning every shade of not-okay. Obviously, something was wrong—now's the time to strike!

He attacked again, engaging Fire Buddha in a deadly clash.

Meanwhile, Mo Hua stood off to the side, calmly calculating:

Just the Yimu Water Poison Formation alone wouldn't kill Fire Buddha.

But…

The poison would slow his movements

It would delay his reaction time

Water countered fire, causing constant pain

His spiritual energy circulation would be disrupted

All of which meant—Uncle Gu would have a much easier time taking him down.

Mo Hua just had to keep his distance, watch Fire Buddha die, and not get dragged into any "suicidal final moves."

And sure enough—

Fire Buddha was being thoroughly suppressed by Gu Changhuai.

He couldn't catch a break.

Though his heart was full of rage, there was nothing he could do.

He never imagined he would fall into the hands of… a little brat he'd only met once.

If it weren't for Mo Hua, even if he couldn't beat Gu Changhuai, he still had backup plans to escape.

Now?

He was trapped in the altar.

His vision was blurred by spells.

His feet snared by formations.

And his body? Poisoned.

"You damn brat!!"

Fire Buddha's face twisted with murderous intent.

But anger wouldn't help—Mo Hua was still lurking nearby, watching him like a hawk.

He couldn't escape the altar.

His injuries worsened.

The water poison spread faster…

All he could do was rely on his vast pool of demonic energy and hang on.

But he could tell—within half an hour, his energy would run dry, and he'd die right there in the altar.

Just then—a violent tremor shook the area above the demonic palace.

Accompanied by countless colliding runes and the terrifying surge of formation detonations.

Mo Hua's expression changed.

"The demonic palace has activated its self-destruct formations?!"

He turned to look at Fire Buddha, only to see—

The man's blood-covered face was twisted in a maniacal grin.

His aura was flickering—on the verge of collapse.

But his expression was one of grim satisfaction.

"You'll all die with me here…"

(End of chapter)