Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 655: Transferring Evil (Sha) Qi into Meteoric Fire

The tremors atop the altar intensified. Pieces of stone were already starting to fall.

Gu Changhuai frowned.

Mo Hua's gaze sharpened. He immediately called out:

"Uncle Gu! The formation's self-destructing! The demon palace is about to collapse!"

"How long do we have?"

Mo Hua spread his divine sense, estimating the collapse energy of the formation.

"Less than the time it takes to burn one incense stick…"

Gu Changhuai gritted his teeth.

He really wanted to finish Fire Buddha off here and now, pin him down on this altar and kill him for good.

But Fire Buddha, though cornered, poisoned by water, and visibly weakening, was still not at the end of his rope.

Cultivators like him, especially demonic cultivators, were notoriously hard to kill.

And in the time it would take—one stick of incense—it just wouldn't be enough.

Not to mention... Mo Hua was here too.

Even if Gu Changhuai was reckless enough to gamble his life in a final blow, he couldn't risk Mo Hua's safety.

With Mo Hua's array talent and limitless future, there was no way he'd let him die with some evil creature like Fire Buddha.

First, they had to get out!

Gu Changhuai shot Fire Buddha a cold glare, then turned to Mo Hua and snapped:

"We're leaving!"

"Got it."

Mo Hua didn't hesitate.

Sure, the altar felt like it was custom-built for him, cozy and all—it'd be a shame to see it destroyed.

But he definitely didn't want to be buried with it in some creepy demon cave.

Living was still top priority.

The two launched their movement techniques—one riding the wind, one flowing like water—fleeing with all their might from the collapsing altar.

Fire Buddha lingered for a moment, waiting until they had gone far enough, before pulling out a blood-red demonic pill and swallowing it.

A surge of blood qi and evil energy flooded into his heart meridians.

"You want to kill me? Not so easy…"

He sneered—his smile full of sinister intent.

Using the pill's power to suppress the water poison, Fire Buddha wrapped himself in flame and fled the altar.

Mo Hua and Gu Changhuai emerged into the main hall.

The great hall was just as ruined—figures scattered in disarray.

Some Dao Court enforcers were still fighting the straggling demonic cultivators.

Others had gone off in pursuit.

Still more were panicking, unsure of what to do as the demon palace shook around them.

Gu Changhuai frowned and barked:

"All personnel, evacuate the demon palace!"

Then without waiting, he grabbed Mo Hua by the collar and bolted.

As a Golden Core cultivator with wind-type evasion techniques, Gu Changhuai was much faster than Mo Hua.

And with the whole palace collapsing, chaos everywhere, rogue demonic cultivators, panicked enforcers, and falling stones—it was simply safer to carry Mo Hua himself.

Mo Hua, now dangling from Gu Changhuai's hand like a sack of rice, looked thoroughly resigned as the scenery blurred past him.

Around them, there was a cacophony of shouts, screams, crumbling stone, and the clashing of weapons.

The altar sank. The great hall collapsed. The labyrinth caved in. One after another, from the central hall to the outer corridors, the formation self-destructed layer by layer until the entire demon palace began to fall in on itself...

No one knew how long passed, but then—Mo Hua's vision suddenly shifted.

He was now outside the demon cave.

The sky was high. Clouds vast. Mountain mist drifted gently.

All around were the towering ridges of Bishan City's mountain ranges.

Mo Hua looked back—just in time to see the peak hiding the demon cave collapse inward like snow melting into hot soup, thunderous booms echoing.

From the entrance, groups of cultivators were fleeing in a panic.

Most were Dao Court members. Some were demonic cultivators.

And just like that—they started fighting again, even before they'd caught their breath.

A few demonic cultivators tried to escape during the chaos. Gu Changhuai was already blocking the stone bridge—cutting down anyone who came close.

Mo Hua stayed hidden to the side, quietly using spells to trap fleeing demonic cultivators.

Any that slipped past Gu Changhuai, Mo Hua would seal with Water Prison or Gen Mountain Array, holding them in place…

Then Gu Changhuai would finish the job.

Together, they took down more than ten demonic cultivators.

But just then, a crimson figure emerged from the demon palace entrance.

It was Fire Buddha.

He had made it out.

And right as he did—the entire mountain behind him collapsed with a roar, completely burying the demon palace and its eerie altar.

Any who didn't escape in time were buried along with it.

Gu Changhuai's heart surged with hatred. He turned to Fire Buddha, eyes cold as ice, and ordered:

"All officers—block the bridge! Don't let that monster escape!"

Wind exploded around him, and Gu Changhuai charged at Fire Buddha.

Fire Buddha chuckled coldly and unleashed his Falling Fire Technique, summoning a torrential firestorm to clash with Gu Changhuai's wind blades.

The other Dao Court officers held the bridge, battled the remaining demonic cultivators, or moved to support Gu Changhuai from the flanks.

Mo Hua watched for a while, frowning.

Fire Buddha…

In just that short time, he had suppressed the poison, healed most of his injuries, and restored his demonic energy…

Like a damn cockroach. Just won't die.

The situation was turning bad.

Suddenly, Fire Buddha feinted around Gu Changhuai, cloaked in fire, and slapped a nearby officer with the intent to kill.

Gu Changhuai had to break off his attack to save him—giving Fire Buddha a chance to breathe.

Fire Buddha grinned wickedly:

"You should've killed me in the altar. Now… it's too late."

Gu Changhuai's eyes narrowed. He turned and saw—

Fire Buddha crushed a luxurious golden jade talisman.

Instantly, a fiery gale wrapped around him. His speed doubled.

"A top-grade talisman… Ten-Thousand Mile Divine Movement Talisman?!"

In the blink of an eye, Fire Buddha streaked past Gu Changhuai, widening the distance by several meters.

Another blink—several more meters.

Gu Changhuai shouted:

"Stop him!"

The Dao Court officers responded immediately, closing ranks to form an airtight defense at the bridge.

Fire Buddha's gaze narrowed. Falling fire surged, and he launched a furious assault.

If he could break through the blockade and flee across the stone bridge—he'd be like a dragon entering the sea.

He tore into the officers. His injured eyes left his killing intent weakened—he couldn't instill fear like before.

But with raging demonic power and potent forbidden techniques, he still began to crack their defense.

Meanwhile, Gu Changhuai rushed to intercept.

As he neared, Fire Buddha also approached the bridge entrance.

There were only a few officers in his way. With the talisman active, he could burst past them and escape.

His lips curled into a wicked grin.

But just then—his feet trembled.

A familiar aura surged beneath him.

He didn't even need to look—

Another one of those damn formations!

A glance confirmed it: gray runes forming a stone cage, temporarily locking him in place.

The formation was fast and precise.

Fire Buddha was furious.

It had to be that creepy little brat, hiding somewhere and playing dirty again.

In that moment of entrapment, several Dao Court officers closed in to strike.

One of them shouted:

"Fire Buddha, die!"

He was young, handsome, in a pristine Dao Court uniform—Xiao Tianquan, heir of the Xiao clan and a famed prodigy.

He hadn't directly fought Fire Buddha earlier.

But now, at the critical moment, he lunged out with a mighty sword strike.

The sword sliced through the air, glowing with spiritual power—it hit Fire Buddha's left shoulder cleanly.

But Fire Buddha wasn't some pushover.

He waved his right hand—demonic fire surged—and burned Xiao Tianquan's left arm, forcing him to retreat and exposing a small opening.

Gu Changhuai arrived just then. With a sweep of his fan, he sent blades of wind tearing through Fire Buddha's back, shredding his robes.

Fire Buddha took the hit head-on, blood spurting from his lips.

But he smirked.

Then, with the Divine Movement Talisman still active, he used the gap Xiao Tianquan had opened to dart away like wildfire.

Mo Hua cast one last Water Prison—but it was useless.

As Fire Buddha escaped, Mo Hua gritted his teeth.

That Xiao Tianquan… what a disappointment.

If you're going to sit on the sidelines, fine—just don't show up at the end and steal the glory.

Or at least finish the job when you do.

Instead, he exchanged a few scratches with Fire Buddha and let the guy slip right through. What a waste.

Mo Hua was still grumbling when he suddenly froze.

His divine sense was sharp. His eyes keener than most.

In the chaos, he saw it clearly— Just before Fire Buddha passed Xiao Tianquan...

The two of them… seemed to lock eyes for a moment?

They exchanged a glance?

Xiao Tianquan clutched his arm, his expression a little... strange.

And Fire Buddha, when looking at Xiao Tianquan, had an unusually calm gaze as well.

Neither of them said a word—just a brief moment, a flicker of the eye—but their gazes had clearly crossed.

It felt like...

Old acquaintances bumping into each other?

Mo Hua's heart stirred. When he looked again, Xiao Tianquan now wore a solemn expression, as if full of regret at having let Fire Buddha escape.

Fire Buddha had already turned into a streak of fire, vanishing into the distance with the Ten-Thousand Mile Divine Movement Talisman.

Gu Changhuai was furious. He roared:

"After him!"

Then he too turned into a gust of wind, chasing in the direction Fire Buddha had fled. Several Dao Court cultivators followed closely behind.

Mo Hua, however, cast a quiet glance at Xiao Tianquan, mind spinning.

Looks like…

There's a bigger fish involved.

Mo Hua didn't go with Gu Changhuai to chase after Fire Buddha.

That guy was way too fast—he wouldn't be able to catch up. Plus, he didn't have the spiritual energy to sustain such a long pursuit.

So he stayed in Bishan City, waiting for Uncle Gu's news. He also needed a break.

The next morning, Gu Changhuai returned, worn out and covered in dust.

"Fire Buddha got away…"

He sighed deeply, his voice heavy and bitter.

Mo Hua felt disappointed, but not surprised.

A demonic cultivator like Fire Buddha, with such surging evil energy, wasn't easy to kill. Unless they surrounded and ground him down, he'd always find a way to slip through. Out in the wild, the variables were too great.

"Uncle Gu, what exactly is that Ten-Thousand Mile Divine Movement Talisman?" Mo Hua asked in a whisper.

Gu Changhuai paused, then explained with a sigh:

"It's a top-tier talisman… used for fleeing or long-distance travel by cultivators below the Golden Core stage."

"Things like this… are usually only found in powerful clans."

Mo Hua asked,

"So, did Fire Buddha steal it? Rob someone for it? Or…"

—Someone gave it to him?

He didn't finish the sentence, but Gu Changhuai already had his suspicions. His expression grew grave.

Mo Hua looked around, then quietly added:

"Uncle Gu… that 'Howling Sky'—I mean, Xiao Tianquan—seemed like he knew Fire Buddha."

Gu Changhuai's eyes sharpened.

"How do you know?"

"I saw it," Mo Hua said. "When Fire Buddha escaped, he and Xiao Tianquan exchanged a look. Just for a moment. But that look... it was like they recognized each other."

Gu Changhuai frowned, replaying the memory, but didn't recall that detail.

Mo Hua said:

"It was really fast. Just a blink. But I have sharp eyes!"

They were giving each other 'the look'! Straight-up flirting with their eyeballs!

Gu Changhuai's frown deepened. He pondered for a moment, then shook his head.

"That doesn't make sense…"

"Fire Buddha's over two hundred years old. Xiao Tianquan's maybe in his twenties or thirties. Their generations are way too far apart. When Fire Buddha was notorious, Xiao Tianquan probably wasn't even born."

"There shouldn't be any connection between them…"

"And with Fire Buddha's personality, I doubt he'd even spare someone like Xiao Tianquan a glance."

Mo Hua muttered,

"Could it be the Xiao family…"

Gu Changhuai thought for a bit, then still shook his head.

"During this operation against the demon palace, the Xiao family lost quite a few people. And those were their people within the Dao Court—a huge part of their foundation."

"They wouldn't willingly destroy their own roots like that. Even if Xiao Tianquan wanted to pull something, their clan patriarch would never allow it."

Mo Hua nodded, but still felt something was off.

Seeing Mo Hua's puzzled face, Gu Changhuai feared he'd start doing something crazy again and sighed:

"I'll keep an eye on it. But you—don't worry about it."

"And don't talk about it with outsiders. If the Xiao family hears rumors, they'll accuse you of slander and give you trouble."

"The Xiao family's influence in the Dao Court is huge. If they start targeting you, everything you do will be difficult."

"Mm-hmm!"

Mo Hua nodded repeatedly.

This kind of thing definitely needed to be kept low-key.

Then he asked:

"Uncle Gu, where exactly did Fire Buddha run off to?"

Gu Changhuai's expression grew grave.

"Outside the Qianxue Province borders. We don't know exactly where yet. I've already sent notice to all Dao Court branches in the surrounding immortal cities—wanted posters, pursuit orders, the works."

"Hopefully we can intercept him…"

He sighed heavily.

If Fire Buddha really managed to escape the province and hide out, recover, and rebuild… when he resurfaces, it'll be another storm of blood and carnage.

Countless cultivators would die.

And if he manages to reach Golden Core, the consequences would be unimaginable…

Mo Hua sighed too, mood sinking.

"Then I…"

He wanted to say something, but Gu Changhuai interrupted:

"Enough. You should just go back to your sect and focus on cultivation."

"Chasing Fire Buddha is dangerous and long-winded. How much time do you even have left? Your leave was only seven days, right?"

"I've got two days left!" Mo Hua said.

"Two days?! You think that's a lot? Qian Province is huge! You'd barely have enough time to run back and forth, let alone chase anyone." Gu Changhuai gave him a look.

"But—" Mo Hua tried to argue.

Gu Changhuai cut him off:

"Tomorrow, I'm arranging an escort to send you back to your sect. No discussion. Just go cultivate."

Mo Hua didn't want to listen.

So Gu Changhuai added:

"Be good and go back, and I'll try to get you some sect merit points. After all, helping destroy the demon palace was a big accomplishment."

"But if you don't go back, then forget it."

Mo Hua immediately caved, obedient as a puppy.

"Alright, Uncle Gu, I'll listen to you!"

And so, the next morning, Gu Changhuai hired a carriage to send Mo Hua back to his sect.

Originally, he wanted to assign two officers to escort him.

But Mo Hua declined.

First—if something dangerous really happened, he had stealth techniques and could slip away on his own.

If it got so bad even he couldn't escape, then those two officers wouldn't save him either—they'd probably just die with him.

Second—he wanted to make the most of the journey back to quietly study Fire Buddha's Falling Fire Forbidden Art manual.

And another book…

"Demonic Dao: True Art of Transforming Slaughter Qi"!

When he had stolen Fire Buddha's secret manuals, he'd grabbed two books without checking. He tossed both into his storage ring.

Later, when he checked, he realized it wasn't just the Falling Fire Forbidden Art—the other was this True Art of Transferring Slaughter (Sha) Qi!

This must be what Uncle Gu had mentioned—the ultimate legacy of the Demonic Sha Sect.

Also the secret behind Fire Buddha's technique of "channeling Sha into the Dao" and overwhelming divine souls.

Mo Hua decided it was time for a critical review.

If there was something useful, he'd extract the essence and toss the garbage.

If it turned out to be utterly evil, then he'd just burn it—better that than letting it harm others.

Of course, he had to read it in secret.

No way the Dao Court or Uncle Gu could know about it… otherwise, they might start thinking he was some kind of "bad guy."

...

Amidst green mountains and flowing waters, a horse-drawn carriage ambled leisurely along the road.

These spirit horses pulling the carriage were road-aware—they knew the way.

Inside the carriage, Mo Hua sat quietly alone, flipping through the two secret manuals Fire Buddha had once so dearly treasured.

He started with "True Art of Demonic Sha Transmutation".

As he skimmed through the contents, Mo Hua's eyes darkened.

As the name suggested, this was indeed a blood-soaked and brutal demonic sect manual.

According to the text, Sha Qi was a type of worldly force—something between spiritual energy and divine consciousness. Tangible yet intangible.

The process of cultivating Sha Qi could be summed up in a single word: kill.

Slaughter many, build up blood karma, accumulate resentment—and then, using this technique, transmute that "blood karma" into Sha Qi.

The more people you kill, the deeper the Sha Qi.

The stronger your victims, the heavier the Sha Qi.

In battle, sheer oppressive Sha Qi alone could cause opponents to tremble in terror, collapse mentally, and surrender without resistance.

When facing powerful enemies, Sha Qi could even invade their minds, driving them insane or berserk.

That day in the grand hall, Fire Buddha had used this exact method—his Sha Qi struck fear into several officers, and then, with a single flaming blade, he slaughtered them all.

Whether in group battles or duels, Demonic Sha Qi was truly terrifying.

"It requires mass killing…"

Mo Hua frowned and shook his head.

The karmic weight of so much killing—he couldn't cultivate such a thing.

But what really caught his interest was the process of Sha Transmutation.

Transforming blood karma into Sha Qi.

As Mo Hua read further, he noticed that this method hinted at something akin to causal transmutation.

Blood karma was the cause.

Sha Qi, the effect.

Turning slaughter into Sha, cause into effect.

It was as if the technique subtly manipulated the very laws of fate and causality, and then fused that with the demonic way of slaughter to create a unique path.

Mo Hua thought about it and ultimately chose not to destroy the manual.

He didn't have to cultivate Sha Qi—but the transmutation process involving cause and effect was worth studying.

Next came the one he'd been looking forward to most:

The Falling Fire Forbidden Art!

The secret manual was thick—more like a research draft on forbidden arts than a traditional spellbook.

It was packed with densely written diagrams and text, detailing forbidden techniques, warnings, risks, and near-unsolvable dilemmas.

After reading for a bit, Mo Hua suddenly understood:

The Falling Fire Art was an immensely powerful, spiritually draining forbidden spell—but also extremely dangerous.

In order to cultivate it, Fire Buddha had slaughtered countless victims and infused their flesh, blood, and spiritual power into himself—into those two Flaming Hearts embedded in his chest.

The more he killed, the stronger the hearts became. The greater the power of the spell. His evil energy was nearly inexhaustible.

No wonder he felt like a raging fire demon—an unstoppable beast.

Hard to kill. Harder to keep dead.

Even when injured, he could recover quickly—just kill again.

And those two "hearts" were, in fact, a pair of twin-origin demonic artifacts.

They were also embryonic life-bound artifacts—a key step for any cultivator aspiring to reach the Golden Core stage.

Golden Core cultivators refine a life-bound artifact.

So those in the Foundation Establishment stage, if they want to break through, must begin incubating the artifact embryo in advance.

This was something Mo Hua had learned in his cultivation classes.

Fire Buddha's artifact embryos were precisely those two Flaming Hearts, which also served as the core of his Falling Fire Forbidden Art.

Mo Hua couldn't fully understand this "artifact embryo" concept yet.

He was still in the early stages of Foundation Establishment. Golden Core and life-bound artifacts were still a bit far off—not his priority yet.

As for Fire Buddha's forbidden art…

Mo Hua had no plans to cultivate it. Wouldn't even be able to if he tried. So there was no point in overanalyzing it.

What he needed now was something else:

A stable and controllable spell structure.

And inside Fire Buddha's two flaming hearts, that structure existed.

After all, the hearts were embedded into his core meridians. If they were unstable, Fire Buddha would've already self-destructed.

"A stable and controllable spell structure…"

With that goal in mind, Mo Hua began filtering out the garbage, extracting the essence—studying the fire-attribute spiritual energy circuits within the hearts.

Then, using those pathways as reference, he copied the pattern and drafted a few basic spell structures for controlling fire-type spiritual energy.

They were complex.

But that didn't bother him.

Mo Hua's spiritual sense was exceptionally strong—the more complex the structure, the better he liked it.

After finalizing several structures, Mo Hua grew restless with excitement and began testing them right there in the carriage.

He started with the basic Fireball Spell.

Using one of the complex forbidden-art-derived spell structures, he condensed fire energy and launched it at the ground.

As he cast, he carefully observed each stage of the spell:

Power level, stability, controllability, whether the structure would collapse under pressure…

After about ten trials, Mo Hua finally found one structure that was relatively stable and easiest to control.

He was thrilled.

He desperately wanted to try mutating the fireball into a higher-tier version and see its power firsthand.

But he restrained himself.

This wasn't the sect. If something went wrong and the spell backfired, he might blow himself up—and there'd be no elder to save him.

So he suppressed the excitement and decided to wait until he was back at the sect before testing it further.

The carriage continued its slow, steady journey.

The roadside scenery was peaceful—lush fields, winding paths, and immortal cities in the distance.

By dusk, they reached the outskirts of Qingcheng Mountain.

Crossing this mountain and traveling a bit farther would take them out of Qianxue Province.

The sunset bathed the mountains in golden light, the clouds like blazing fire.

Mo Hua leaned against the carriage window, gazing at the glowing sky.

And then—his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

The evening clouds… looked like blood.

He blinked, and the clouds returned to normal. The blood-red vision was just an illusion.

But unease crept into Mo Hua's chest.

He tried using Heavenly Pattern Deduction, and in that instant, he saw a bright red chain—as red as blood, seething with killing intent—entwined around his cause and effect.

Mo Hua's pupils shrank. Without hesitation, he flipped and leapt out of the carriage.

A few seconds later—

BOOM!

The carriage exploded into a massive inferno, reduced to ash in moments.

Mo Hua landed on his feet and looked forward—

Standing at the road ahead… was a figure.

Tall. Calm. Dressed in a blood-red kasaya. Eyes burning with murderous intent.

It was Fire Buddha!

His gaze was cold. His voice, like frost.

"Little benefactor... I've come to send you on your way."

(End of Chapter)