Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 600 – Water Prison Technique

After Mo Hua submitted his name, he waited eagerly.

Finally, after the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, his Great Void Token trembled.

Mo Hua's application was accepted.

One hundred merit points!

Mo Hua was thrilled.

He immediately began preparing to "ride along" on this bounty mission.

He packed some spirit stones, spiritual ink, his little stealth cloak (very important), and even brought along his Thousand-Jin Staff—not that it was particularly useful anymore, but it had accompanied him for so long, he couldn't just leave it behind.

Additionally, since this was in Dian Cang Prefecture, and there was supposedly a Dian Cang Mountain, he considered the possibility of poisonous miasma or toxic gas in the area. So he packed anti-poison pills and anti-miasma pills—second-grade ones, just to be safe.

He also gathered various other odds and ends, until he was fully prepared.

The last question was—

How would he fight?

Mo Hua thought about it carefully.

This mission was for Foundation Establishment mid-stage disciples to capture a criminal cultivator. That meant the enemy would also likely be Foundation Establishment mid-stage.

Since their cultivation was higher than his, even a trusty Fireball Technique might not pack enough punch.

As for formations...

His Second-Grade Earthfire Formation was only a 13-pattern, entry-level second-grade array. Its power probably wouldn't cut it against a mid-stage opponent either.

"Still too lacking in offensive spells…"

Mo Hua sighed.

But then again, he was only Foundation Establishment early stage—being unable to beat a mid-stage wasn't exactly unexpected.

Besides, the bounty specifically requested someone proficient in formations.

So it was clear—they didn't need him for brute force.

Just being a formation master was enough to "tag along."

But still—being prepared was always wise.

What if they ran into a tough opponent? He needed to at least be able to help out a little.

"It's the 3rd today. Still six days until the 9th…"

"Six days. That should be just enough time to learn one new spell."

"No need for an offensive one…"

Because his spiritual power was weak, anything stronger than Fireball would likely be beyond him—or have pitiful power even if he managed to learn it.

"Then I'll learn a control spell instead…"

Control-type spell…

Mo Hua's eyes lit up:

"Second-Grade Water Prison Technique!"

The Water Prison Technique was really quite useful—especially for immobilizing enemies, interrupting attacks, and countering those with agile movement techniques.

He used to have a first-grade version of the Water Prison spell. It was great during Qi Refinement, but ever since reaching Foundation Establishment, its effectiveness dropped drastically, and he had stopped using it.

Unfortunately, he never found a second-grade version of the technique.

Ah… the sorrow of being a lone cultivator with weak inheritance…

But now that he was in the Great Void Sect, things were different.

The sect had a long history and deep foundation, with many spell collections gathered from across the world.

Sure enough, the Merit Registry inside the token should have the second-grade version.

Mo Hua was hopeful and immediately dove his divine sense into the token, flipping through the registry.

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea—

He found it!

A complete set of Water Prison Technique manuals!

From first-grade to fourth-grade!

There was even a footnote:

"Water Prison Technique – A rare water-based spell.

Originally the core art of the Water Prison Sect, never shared with outsiders.

In the winter of Dao Year 19,080, the entire Water Prison Sect fell into demonic ways and was destroyed by the Dao Court. After their demise, the spell was leaked, but most versions are incomplete."

"In Dao Year 19,900, this spell was compiled and restored by Master Yi and recorded into the Great Void Sect archives."

Below that, there was a review:

"Water Prison Technique has niche usage. Easy to learn, hard to master. Choose carefully."

Mo Hua was surprised.

So this spell actually had quite the backstory…

"Water Prison Sect? Why did the whole sect fall to demon cultivation?"

"And who's this Master Yi…?"

He thought for a moment but didn't dwell on it.

The cultivation world was enormous. So many sects, so many legacies—who had time to research them all?

If you can learn it, that's what matters.

Then he looked at the price:

From first to fourth-grade, the complete Water Prison Technique manual would cost over 10,000 merit points.

Gasp!

That was daylight robbery!

Even selling himself wouldn't cover the cost.

But thankfully—he saw that the manual could be purchased in parts.

The first and second-grade sections cost only 260 merit points.

Third-grade alone was over 2,000. Fourth-grade? A whopping 8,000+.

"Phew… good thing I only need second-grade."

But then he frowned again.

Even 260 was no joke.

He only had around 270-280 merit points total—and that was after painstakingly grinding bounties and drawing almost a hundred formations.

He wrestled with the decision for a long while… and finally made up his mind:

"Merit points are meant to be used!"

"If I don't spend them, why did I work so hard to earn them?"

It was only the cost of a couple 16-pattern formation scrolls.

And if he mastered this spell, it could benefit him throughout the entire Foundation Establishment stage.

"Buy it!"

Mo Hua clenched his teeth and made the purchase.

The moment he confirmed the exchange, all his hard-earned merit points—

Gone, in a single swoosh.

His heart ached so badly, he could barely breathe.

But at least… he had a new spell to learn!

That cheered him up a little.

Without delay, he rushed to the Merit Pavilion and exchanged for the Second-Grade Water Prison Technique Manual.

The elder who handled his request was the same chubby old man as before.

He looked at the manual, then raised an eyebrow:

"Didn't you say you were saving your points to study formations? You worked so hard for this long… and exchanged it for a spell instead?"

"And not just any spell—but this weird old Water Prison Technique?"

Mo Hua replied seriously:

"Sharpening the axe won't delay the chopping of firewood!

I'm learning this spell so I can do missions better—which means I can earn even more merit!

And then exchange that for more formation scrolls!"

"Do missions…?"

The elder blinked.

Mo Hua looked a little guilty:

"I misspoke. I meant accept missions."

The Merit Elder scratched his head, baffled:

"This little guy… really is a bit odd."

"Picking such a niche spell… what is he up to?"

Still, since Mo Hua had the merit to pay, and he was following sect rules, the elder couldn't object.

He handed over the manual for the Second-Grade Water Prison Technique.

Mo Hua took it and ran off, grinning from ear to ear, leaving the elder deep in thought behind him.

Back at his quarters, Mo Hua eagerly opened the manual.

Although it was officially "second-grade," since all Great Void disciples started at Foundation Establishment, the book also included a first-grade version of the spell.

"Buy one, get one free!"

Mo Hua nodded, pleased with the deal.

To squeeze out full value, he carefully re-read the first-grade version—

—and was immediately stunned.

The first-grade Water Prison spell here was completely different from the one he had learned before!

The incantation was more complete.

The techniques more detailed.

The control over spirit energy—much more advanced.

He remembered the history note from the registry and understood now:

His original version came from a demonic cultivator in Black Mountain, and was a fragment of the Water Prison Sect's lost legacy.

But the version from the Great Void Sect had been restored by Master Yi, and was the complete and orthodox version of the Water Prison Technique.

"Master Yi… is truly a good person!"

Mo Hua mentally slapped a big "Good Guy" label on him.

Then he got to work—retraining his first-grade spell from scratch, correcting errors, patching holes, and laying a proper foundation.

From there, he began earnestly studying and practicing the second-grade Water Prison Technique.

The orthodox Water Prison focused on shaping water, drawing its form, and turning ground into prison.

His old version could only restrain enemies a bit.

The orthodox one, though—it acted more like shackles.

Water-attribute spiritual energy would even erode the enemy's meridians, causing pain.

While the raw damage wasn't high, it created a strong sense of suffocation and helplessness…

Just like a real prison made of water.

As if it were a real "Water Prison."

Whether it was the confinement or the suffocating sensation, the upgraded spell was clearly superior.

Because Mo Hua had already mastered the first-grade Water Prison, optimizing and upgrading the spell to second-grade was much smoother—twice the result for half the effort.

And though the Water Prison Technique was niche and notoriously hard to cultivate, Mo Hua's spiritual sense was sharp and powerful, making the learning process much easier for him.

In just five or six days, Mo Hua was already able to cast the second-grade Water Prison with decent form and confidence.

After testing its effects, he was quite satisfied.

"Know thyself."

One must have a clear understanding of their own role.

"Since I'm bad at killing, might as well use Water Prisons to annoy people. That still counts as helping the team!"

When the ninth day of the lunar month came, Mo Hua packed up and set out. He headed to the base of a mountain near the Great Void Mountain, where he would meet his "teammates."

In the Great Void Sect, there was a bi-monthly break—two days off every ten-day cycle.

The upper ten-day cycle's break days were the ninth and tenth of each month.

During those days, disciples could manage their own time however they liked, as long as they didn't break any rules.

Previously, Mo Hua had always spent his breaks holed up in his dorm, practicing formations.

This was his first time going out.

Wearing his black-and-white Great Void Sect robes, he headed southwest to the designated meeting spot—a mountainside with a large, conspicuous stone nearby.

When Mo Hua arrived, he saw that two other cultivators were already there—both women.

One wore the Great Void Sect's robes. She was tall, graceful, and had a gentle, beautiful appearance.

The other wore a luxurious pink-gold embroidered robe. She looked stylish and pretty, clearly not from the Great Void Sect.

Both were Foundation Establishment cultivators and appeared to be a few years older than Mo Hua.

Mo Hua greeted politely,

"Greetings, senior sisters."

The two women were a little surprised, but upon seeing Mo Hua's picturesque features, fair skin, and clear eyes, all wrapped in the black-and-white of a Great Void disciple—they smiled and replied:

"Hello, little junior brother."

But since they were all strangers, no one said much more.

Mo Hua obediently stood off to the side, waiting.

The two women glanced at him, assuming he was waiting for someone else, and quietly waited as well.

A while later, another cultivator arrived.

A man, dressed in a gold-red robe embroidered with mountain patterns. He had a steady aura, a tall frame, and a refined yet handsome appearance.

He approached with a calm demeanor and greeted the women:

"Greetings, junior sisters."

The women returned the greeting,

"Greetings, Senior Brother Feng."

The man looked around and asked:

"Is everyone here?"

The gentle woman in Great Void Sect robes frowned slightly.

"We agreed to meet here, but still no sign…"

"Hopefully they won't bail."

"They signed a spiritual contract when accepting the mission. They shouldn't flake…"

"How skilled is this array master?"

"Not sure yet. But at the very least, he's a first-grade array master. I've seen him take on a lot of first-grade formation commissions. Even if he can't handle second-grade arrays, he should be quite skilled at first-grade ones…"

"Just first-grade? That might not cut it," said the pretty woman in the ornate robe.

The gentle one sighed:

"Most formation cultivators only accept array-drawing commissions. Missions like this—where we leave the sect and hunt criminal cultivators—they usually avoid them. It's too dangerous."

"I waited for days before finding even one first-grade array master willing to accept this task."

"And honestly, the merit payout isn't that high…"

The man nodded helplessly,

"Yeah… just a hundred or so merit points."

A second-grade array master could make that much by drawing a few formations in the safety of the sect—no travel, no danger, no fuss.

"But is this guy reliable?"

"First-grade only… doesn't inspire confidence."

"Well, it's too late to be picky now…"

The man in red-gold sighed and looked up at the sky,

"It's getting late. I wonder when that array master will show up—"

"I'm here!"

A crisp voice suddenly rang out.

The three of them blinked and turned to see a small figure standing nearby, frowning unhappily.

"I've been here for a while already!"

And I heard you talking smack behind my back!

The three were all stunned.

The gentle-looking woman blurted out:

"You… You're…?"

Mo Hua replied,

"I'm Mo Hua!"

The man looked confused,

"Mo Hua?"

The gentle woman smiled bitterly,

"That's the name of the array master we hired—but I didn't expect…"

Didn't expect him to be this tiny junior brother.

Early Foundation Establishment. Low cultivation. Inexperienced and baby-faced. Clearly just entered the sect recently.

The man's voice was calm:

"Little brother, did you just join the sect?"

Mo Hua nodded.

The man was surprised and turned to the gentle woman,

"Did the Great Void Sect change its rules? New disciples can accept missions now?"

She looked confused,

"Not that I've heard of…"

"Then how is he…?"

All three looked at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua replied:

"It was Elder Xun who let me accept this mission."

Ah yes, cue the "Elder Xun" name drop.

Of course, Mo Hua left out the fact that Elder Xun only gave him permission to do entry-level missions like "sweeping stairs, inspecting gates, and drawing formations"...

Not this kind of chase-the-criminal-cultivator-and-risk-your-life assignment.

"Elder Xun?" the man blinked.

The gentle woman—being from the Great Void Sect—suddenly understood.

"Ohhh… Elder Xun…"

That explained it.

If Elder Xun personally opened up the token's mission privileges for this kid, then Mo Hua clearly wasn't ordinary.

At the very least, he was close to Elder Xun.

Which made it a bit awkward to dig further.

However…

The gentle woman still felt uneasy.

This junior was so young, with weak cultivation, shallow roots, and no combat experience. Even if he did know a little about formations… was it really safe to bring him along on such a dangerous mission?

Besides—was he even truly good at formations?

She asked cautiously:

"Junior brother… do you actually know formations?"

Mo Hua noticed they seemed reluctant to "let him play."

Time to show some skill and earn that slot.

He corrected:

"Not just know formations. I'm skilled at them!"

The three were stunned.

Such a tiny disciple, and he dared to claim he was "skilled" at formations?

Mo Hua added:

"If you don't believe me, feel free to test me!"

Preferably with something really hard that I haven't learned yet—so I can maybe steal some new tricks while I'm at it!

The man in red-gold considered it, then nodded,

"Alright. I'll test you a bit."

"Mhm!"

Mo Hua was all anticipation…

But then he deflated.

The questions were all ridiculously easy—basic first-grade formation knowledge, with a dash of superficial second-grade content. Nothing challenging. Nothing impressive. And certainly no new formations to sneak-copy.

Mo Hua breezed through every question.

When the man fell silent, Mo Hua eagerly asked:

"Got anything harder?"

"Or, better—test me with a super difficult array?"

The man paused, a bit helpless:

"Sorry… this is all I've got."

He was a sword cultivator. He only learned formation basics to pass sect assessments—he never went deep into the art.

Still, the fact that Mo Hua had passed so easily proved he had a solid foundation.

And they really did need an array master for this trip.

The man finally said:

"Alright then. I'll take you with us and see how it goes."

Mo Hua's heart leapt with joy—

But before he could say anything, the gentle-faced senior sister next to him shook her head and said:

"No!"

Mo Hua froze.

"It's too dangerous," the gentle senior sister said to Mo Hua. "Although with our cultivation levels, capturing this criminal cultivator isn't too difficult, the cultivation world is unpredictable. If anything unexpected happens, we might not be able to protect you."

She softened her tone, gently advising:

"Junior brother, listen to your senior sister. Go back to the sect and cultivate properly. Once you're older, then take on these dangerous missions..."

She really was a good person,

Mo Hua thought to himself.

But no way was he backing out of this mission!

He'd already spent over two hundred merit points to trade for the second-grade Water Prison Technique. If he didn't recover some of that cost, he'd be taking a huge loss!

This mission must succeed. No failure allowed!

Mo Hua's eyes lit up as he considered something and said:

"If I don't go, won't you be missing an array master?"

"I'll find someone else," the gentle woman replied.

"Senior sister, you just said no one else was willing to take the mission. I heard it all!"

She was momentarily speechless.

Mo Hua added confidently:

"Don't worry. I know concealment techniques—I can protect myself."

"Concealment..."

The woman hesitated, clearly still uneasy.

Just then, another figure approached from a distance—a man, arriving with an apologetic smile:

"Sorry I'm late..."

He then greeted each person in turn:

"Senior Brother Feng, Junior Sister Qian, Senior Sister Murong..."

Finally, he spotted Mo Hua and froze, eyes wide:

"Mo Hua? What are you doing here?"

Mo Hua was just as surprised.

One of the five members of this mission was actually someone he knew!

It was Shangguan Xu, the senior brother who had led him into the sect.

Mo Hua didn't care why Shangguan Xu was here—he jumped at the chance:

"Senior Brother Xu! Take me with you!"

He even shot him a look—Help me out here! Say something nice so they'll let me tag along!

Shangguan Xu gave a bitter smile,

"What's going on here?"

The gentle senior sister explained, then asked in surprise:

"You two know each other?"

Shangguan Xu nodded,

"Junior Brother Mo has… some ties to my Shangguan family."

He didn't say much more. The matter with Young Master Yu wasn't something he could discuss openly.

But now Shangguan Xu had a headache of his own.

If he brought Mo Hua along, it would be risky.

But if he left him behind… he'd be going against Auntie's orders.

In the end, he could only say:

"Junior Brother Mo is… sensible and clever. Senior Sister Murong, why not take him along?"

The gentle woman—Murong Caiyun—frowned in thought. Seeing that it was getting late, and they'd run out of time to delay, she sighed and said:

"Fine. But be extremely careful. Brother Shangguan, you're responsible for watching over Junior Brother Mo."

Shangguan Xu nodded.

Mo Hua immediately promised:

"Don't worry! I'm amazing at formations—I won't drag you down!"

Murong Caiyun was a bit helpless.

Amazing at formations?

A little early Foundation cultivator, freshly initiated… just how "amazing" could he be?

But truthfully, the mission didn't require anything too advanced in terms of arrays.

So she nodded and said,

"Let's head out."

Mo Hua eagerly nodded along.

And so, two senior brothers and two senior sisters, with a small junior brother tagging along, departed from the Great Void Mountain, taking a path through Qingzhou City toward the second-grade Diansang Prefecture.

Along the way, Mo Hua casually pried for information and quickly learned who his new teammates were.

The tall, handsome, and warm-looking man in the red-gold robe was from Tai'a Sect, named Ouyang Feng.

The gentle woman in the black-and-white robe was Murong Caiyun, from Mo Hua's own Great Void Sect.

The fashionable girl in the pink-gold embroidered robe was Hua Qianqian, a senior sister from the Hundred Flowers Sect.

The Hundred Flowers Sect was one of the twelve second-rate sects of the Qianxue Prefecture. All of its disciples were women, and all their cultivation methods were tailored for female cultivators.

Everyone was around seven or eight years older than Mo Hua. Although they weren't from the same sect, inter-sect collaboration in the Qianxue region was common, so courtesy demanded he still address them as "senior brother" and "senior sister."

As for why other sects were part of a Great Void Sect mission, Mo Hua asked about that too.

Criminal cultivator bounties were usually issued by the Dao Tribunal, not limited to the Great Void Sect. Nearby sects could also receive and accept these missions.

Once completed, the Dao Tribunal would reward the sect, which would then convert it to merit points and distribute it to disciples.

Along the way, Mo Hua sneakily observed his senior teammates. Their cultivation was solid, and their techniques were undoubtedly of high grade. Clearly, they were veterans of bounty missions.

Mo Hua nodded to himself and made a silent vow:

"This mission… I have to make them see just how good I am."

"Only once they've seen my skill will they be willing to take me on more missions!"

"To get in on missions, you need connections."

Not just within the Great Void Sect—the other eight major sects, the twelve second-rates, and the hundreds of lesser sects in Qianzhou… he needed to get familiar with all of them!

Even building a large formation would require help from lots of cultivators.

In times like these, social capital mattered.

As for the Four Grand Sects?

Let's… not get ahead of ourselves.

I probably don't have what it takes to cozy up to them yet.

All sects shared the same rest schedule—two days per ten-day cycle.

Time was tight, so the group traveled day and night, using movement techniques nonstop. It took over ten hours before they arrived at Diansang Prefecture, a second-grade minor territory in Qianzhou.

At the heart of the region was Mount Diancang, where the target criminal cultivator was hiding.

Mo Hua had already asked: the criminal's real name was unknown. His wanted alias was "Vulture"—a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator known for his speed and considerable skill in formations.

Vulture had a long list of crimes and was already in the Dao Tribunal's criminal records.

He had forcefully dual cultivated with female disciples, committed murder, and even trafficked young cultivators, selling them to demonic cultivators as "food."

The Dao Tribunal's mission directive was:

If you can capture him, do it.

Lock him in the Dao prison and have him slowly torn apart with formations.

If not—kill him on the spot.

(End of Chapter)