Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 1130: The Wilderness Heaven Will Rise

The Great Wilderness.

Night had fallen, and the desert wind was bleak and chilly.

This was a borderland where the days were blazing hot and the nights bitterly cold. Inside a military encampment at such a harsh pass—

Yang Jishan, from the Yang family of the Dao Soldier Division, was discussing military matters by candlelight with his clansman, Yang Jiyong, inside their tent.

For nearly a hundred years, the Southern Wilderness had remained unstable.

A few clans had long been in constant rebellion, waging endless wars.

And across the various provinces within the Great Wilderness, the Dragon Lords and nobles each controlled their own territories, constantly in open strife and hidden schemes.

All this time, the Dao Court could only suppress and maintain stability.

The Great Wilderness had been the region where the Dao Court had deployed its armies the most in the past ten thousand years.

Especially the Yang family—almost every generation of their disciples had trained in the Great Wilderness, engaging in bloody battles with the rebellious barbarian tribes.

This night, Yang Jishan and Yang Jiyong were discussing today's movements of the barbarians.

As they talked, Yang Jishan suddenly frowned, as if something was weighing on his mind.

Yang Jiyong asked, "Big brother, what's wrong?"

Yang Jishan hesitated for a moment and asked, "Did you see anything strange in the sky during the day?"

"Something strange?"

Yang Jishan nodded. "It looked like a streak of fire across the sky… the heavens seemed to glow red…"

Yang Jiyong shook his head. "I didn't notice anything odd…"

Yang Jishan gave a light nod. "Maybe I'm overthinking."

Perhaps the recent surges in fiery energy and the frequent barbarian movements had drained his focus, leading to hallucinations.

So he told himself silently.

Yang Jiyong added, "Big brother, this frontier is a cruel place of scorching days and frigid nights. We'll probably have to endure another ten or twenty years before we achieve any real merit. Don't wear yourself out—rest when you can."

Yang Jishan nodded. "You too. Work hard and form your core (Jindan) soon."

Yang Jiyong smiled in response.

The two brothers chatted until midnight, then drank a bit of strong liquor to warm themselves, rolled up in their blankets, and slept in their clothes.

Yang Jiyong fell into a deep sleep—and snored.

Yang Jishan, however, was uneasy. Between his troubled thoughts and the constant snoring, he couldn't sleep well.

Half-asleep, he suddenly felt a chill pierce his heart.

His years of military experience and life-or-death training kicked in, instantly waking him. The drowsiness vanished.

The night wind was still cold.

He wrapped himself in his armor and stepped out of the tent. Looking up, he saw that the night was pitch-black, swallowing the moonlight.

The mountain range of the Great Wilderness resembled black beasts, undulating endlessly. The heavens and earth were vast and desolate.

It was very quiet.

Yang Jishan exhaled slowly.

But then, his brows suddenly furrowed.

"Too quiet…"

Normally, around this hour, the Three Thousand Mountains of the Great Wilderness would have the sounds of insects and birds, the cries of beasts, the ambient noise of the wilderness. The night wouldn't feel this heavy.

Something abnormal must be going on.

And yet… it looked like nothing was there. Everything was pitch black and empty— Yang Jishan quickly turned back into the tent and kicked Yang Jiyong's leg. "Something's off. Come with me."

Yang Jiyong, sound asleep, was jolted awake. Eyes wide open, he looked up and saw it was Yang Jishan. Though annoyed, he held back his temper, patted his face, gathered his senses, and followed his brother out of the tent.

"What happened?" he asked, puzzled.

Yang Jishan said solemnly, "Something isn't right… but I can't say exactly what."

Yang Jiyong's expression also turned serious.

The two walked to the gate tower of the pass and looked out—only darkness.

In the blackness, they could see nothing.

But neither of them relaxed their guard.

Just then, a strong gust of night wind swept through, stirring grass, trees, and sand—and lifting a dark, shadowy ripple in the night.

That flicker happened to catch both their eyes.

"Demonic beast?" Yang Jiyong froze. "It blends with the darkness—looks like… a Ghost Night Wolf?"

Yang Jishan's eyes turned sharp. "Not a Ghost Night Wolf… it's—"

Yang Jiyong's pupils contracted. "Ghost Night Wolf Troopers!"

Ghost Night Wolves were barbaric demonic beasts—nocturnal, stealthy, their fur and aura blending into the night, making them ghost-like when hunting.

The barbarian tribes of the Great Wilderness would hunt them, skin them, and craft armor from their hides to launch night raids.

Thus was born the infamous Ghost Night Wolf Troopers—stealth soldiers cloaked like phantoms.

They had once been one of the most sinister and cunning troop types under the royal court of the Great Wilderness.

But after the royal court was destroyed and their forces suppressed, these "wolf soldiers" had been outlawed by the Dao Soldier Division—no faction in the Great Wilderness was allowed to train them.

And now… wolf troopers were appearing at this very pass?

Yang Jishan's expression grew grim. He ordered Yang Jiyong to rouse the soldiers and form ranks for defense.

Meanwhile, he pulled out a beast-sinew horn bow. Drawing it like a full moon, his eyes sharp as a hawk, he searched the darkness for the ghostly figures he could barely see.

Another gust of wind—black shapes flickered.

Yang Jishan's eyes gleamed. He loosed his arrow.

The arrow roared through the air with immense force and pinned a barbarian soldier to the ground.

Blood seeped into the darkness. The iron scent spread, triggering an unseen agitation.

But Yang Jishan showed no joy at the kill.

He knew—this attack wouldn't be so simple.

"Light the Flame Array," he ordered.

Lighting open flames at night in the Great Wilderness was strictly forbidden.

Located in the far south of the Nine Provinces, the Great Wilderness had nights thick as ink. It was also a paradise for nocturnal demonic beasts.

These beasts feared fire but were attracted by light.

Especially around border forts—once a fire was lit, beasts would go mad and swarm the gates.

But tonight… things were different. Desperate times called for desperate measures.

Above the fortress walls, light surged.

A massive Flame Array ignited, shooting a column of light into the sky.

Brilliant flame rose from the ground, illuminating the dark heavens.

The black night was slowly pushed back.

As the fire lit up, the scene outside the fortress gradually came into view for Yang Jishan and Yang Jiyong.

In a single instant, both their pupils dilated. A cold chill swept their bodies—their hearts sank like stones into the abyss.

Beyond the pass, in the shadows of night— A countless horde of barbarian troops, draped in beast armor, tall, savage, and hideous, filled the wilderness.

As far as the firelight reached—the numbers were beyond measure.

A barbarian army.

Even more shocking to Yang Jishan and Yang Jiyong—besides the regular barbarian soldiers and a few Ghost Night Wolf Troopers, the army included numerous forbidden Great Wilderness troop types, all banned by the Dao Soldier Division.

Among them…

Even the near-extinct Demonic Cavalry of the Great Wilderness had returned!

Bloodthirsty barbarian body-refiners, with iron-like bodies, riding terrifying demonic beasts long believed impossible to tame—these were the Demonic Cavalry who once tore through battlefields, unstoppable in their charge.

They were the most feared elite force of the Great Wilderness royal court.

The Dao Court had once sent the Dragon Cavalry to wipe them out—a hundred years of brutal warfare to slaughter them all.

And now, after thousands of years… the Demonic Cavalry had returned.

And it wasn't just ordinary demonic cavalry…

The flame from the array flashed again.

What Yang Jishan saw among the demonic cavalry was mostly wolf riders—but a portion of the armored barbarian cultivators were astonishingly riding savage tigers as large as small hills.

Tigers were generally considered one step below dragons.

But while dragons were divine beasts, tigers were demonic beasts—if a tiger could rival a dragon, that alone spoke to its incredible power and might.

And that was only for typical tiger-type demonic beasts.

According to legend in the Great Wilderness, there were the "Four Divine Beasts."

The White Tiger was one of them. Thus, many tiger demons in the Great Wilderness carried traces—more or less—of White Tiger blood, making them divine beast variants.

Such demonic beasts were referred to as Exotic Beasts.

The Tiger-Riding Demonic Cavalry was considered the strongest of the Great Wilderness royal court's elite troops.

And anyone capable of subduing a tiger demon, let alone riding one, without exception, possessed the dragon bloodline of the Great Wilderness, descending from the royal court—either Dragon Lords, Nobles, or Imperial Scions.

Only dragon blood could suppress tiger blood.

Hence, the tiger cavalry of the Great Wilderness were also called:

"The Royal Troops of the Great Wilderness."

Looking at these terrifying tiger demons, each towering like a hill, marked with the character "王" (King) on their foreheads—and on their backs, colossal imperial giants, three to four men tall—

Yang Jishan's face turned pale as he realized what had happened.

"The Great Wilderness… has rebelled…?"

This was no localized disturbance—it was a full-scale uprising.

And tonight wasn't a sneak attack—it was an all-out assault.

Yang Jishan's heart trembled.

The possibility of rebellion in the Great Wilderness had been considered before—but always as a remote contingency.

No one had expected it to truly happen.

And yet—it had.

Right here. Right now.

Yang Jishan drew in a deep breath and said, keeping his voice as calm as possible:

"Light the signal flames. Alert the surrounding strongholds…"

"Send word to the Dao Soldier Division—report that the Great Wilderness has revolted. Request deployment of central Dao troops to suppress the traitors."

"And send a message to the Yang clan—tell our elders to prepare for war…"

Having issued these rapid orders, Yang Jishan drew his spear. He turned to Yang Jiyong, his expression half solemn, half helpless:

"It's time for us to earn our names."

Yang Jiyong looked at the overwhelming mass of barbarian soldiers before him—so many that it crushed all hope—and laughed:

"Big brother, just watch me slaughter these traitors and rise straight into the Dao Soldier Division's inner ranks!"

Yang Jishan gave a bitter smile. After a moment of silence, he quietly said:

"Don't die…"

Yang Jiyong's smile faded. His expression grew serious.

"You too, big brother… You must live."

—

Suddenly, in the night, a tiger's roar echoed like thunder across the mountains.

The barbarian army surged forward like a flood, crashing toward the fortress.

At the vanguard were the ghostly Ghost Night Wolf Troopers.

These wolf troopers were weapons of stealth and siege.

At the fortress pass, the defensive formation ignited. Massive spiritual power flowed, grinding down the charging barbarian soldiers like a giant bloody millstone.

But the barbarians were fearless. When one died, another filled the gap. Wave after wave stormed the walls, only to be impaled by the Dao soldiers' spears.

Corpses piled on the ground.

The next wave stepped over the fallen and kept charging.

At that moment, the wolf troopers—blending seamlessly with the night—had already scaled the walls and begun clashing with the Dao Court's soldiers.

A brutal siege had begun.

The Great Wilderness rebellion had officially unfolded…

...

Somewhere south of Lizhou, within a third-rank immortal city.

Situ Xiu thrust his sword through the chest of a rebellious sect cultivator shouting "The heavens are dead!" Then, with a backhand slash, he severed another traitor's arm.

Situ Xiu thrust her sword through the chest of a sect cultivator who shouted, "The heavens are dead!" Then, with a reverse slash, she severed another rebel cultivator's arm.

Around her, her colleagues were also suppressing the rebel cultivators.

But the number of rebels only grew.

Even some impoverished rogue cultivators had joined in the chaos.

And behind the scenes, several demonic cultivators of the evil path were secretly fanning the flames.

The situation was in utter turmoil.

And the Dao Court Division had become the primary target.

Situ Xiu, a Director of the Dao Court Division, felt powerless.

This Immortal City was named Shaoshan City. The Dao Court Division here was riddled with corruption, and the local noble families were greedy.

They colluded with each other, while rogue cultivators and commoners lived in misery.

Although she served as a Director, her strength alone could not turn the tide.

If not for being born into the Situ Clan, with the family's protection, it would've been nearly impossible to stay clean in such a mire.

But she never imagined that the fragile balance would collapse so suddenly.

During the day, a dragon's roar had echoed out of nowhere—perhaps a signal fire had reached this region.

Soon after, a massive conflict erupted.

A minor sect, usually obscure and unremarkable, suddenly rose in rebellion and launched a sneak attack on the Dao Court Division.

After a fierce battle, the Dao Court Division was overrun. Many Directors and Officers were slaughtered.

The entire compound was set ablaze.

The poor and desperate rogue cultivators, seeing this, rushed into the mansions of the local noble families—killing, looting.

All of Shaoshan City was engulfed in fire.

Situ Xiu wanted to suppress the rebellion but was completely powerless. She could only regroup with the disciples and elders of the Situ Clan to barely protect themselves.

But clearly, this was not a long-term solution.

"Lady Xiu, we must return to the clan. Shaoshan City is completely lost…"

An elder of the Situ Clan said gravely, "If we stay, we'll only bring disaster upon ourselves."

Situ Xiu frowned. "What on earth is happening?"

The elder's expression was grim:

"Judging by the signs… it looks like traitors have raised the banner of rebellion, intending to defy the Dao Court."

Situ Xiu was shocked. "Who would dare something so bold!?"

The elder shook his head.

"Plotting treason is a shocking act. The mastermind behind this must be an incredibly dangerous figure. It's best not to get involved… otherwise, we may face the doom of clan extinction."

Situ Xiu nodded in agreement.

After that, the Situ Clan left Shaoshan City—moving lightly and discreetly, not even using carriages to avoid drawing attention.

But once they had left Shaoshan City, they realized:

It wasn't just Shaoshan City in chaos—

The entire province, and even most of Lizhou, had descended into anarchy.

Everywhere they went—refugees, bandits, rogue cultivators.

Endless bloodshed. Corpses strewn about.

Nearly every Immortal City had erupted in conflicts, large or small.

In some cities, the Dao Court Division had been overthrown. Directors and Officers were executed. Rebel cultivators rallied rogue cultivators, shouting:

"The heavens are dead—let the Wild Heaven rise!"

Many Immortal Cities shut their gates, forbidding all cultivators from entering or leaving.

Amid this looming storm, the entire land showed signs of an impending age of chaos.

And from the Great Wilderness, the barbarian armies still surged forward like a flood—from the south to the north, crushing everything in their path.

The flames of war had begun spreading from the Great Wilderness into Lizhou…

The situation was worsening by the moment.

The demon star Yinghuo had appeared.

War and calamity followed in its wake.

These omens were seen clearly by many high-level cultivators across the Dao Court and the Nine Provinces.

But the problem was—they held lofty positions and could only see omens, not details.

And the Great Wilderness was remote. Lizhou was impoverished. Most of its provinces were second- or third-rank—low-grade and relatively isolated.

Most high-level communication methods didn't even work out here.

And the information coming from within trickled out slowly.

As a result, those in power found themselves helpless—though they tried to plan and act early, they couldn't help but feel deeply anxious.

...

Qianxue Province — Great Void Sect

In the elders' quarters.

Old Master Xun frowned deeply as he looked over a map of the Great Wilderness and Lizhou.

He had already issued his main arrangements—but one matter still unsettled him.

"Yinghuo has fallen to the south. Disaster emerges in the Great Wilderness.

But the Great Wilderness and Lizhou are intertwined—

Mo Hua, that child, his hometown is in Lizhou.

I hope… he hasn't been caught up in this…"

Old Master Xun was still worried about Mo Hua.

After a moment's thought, he couldn't shake the unease. So he decided to divine Mo Hua's fate and safety.

He activated the Great Void's Heavenly Compass of Fate, linking it to the Great Void Duality Lock.

The compass spun. Destiny trembled.

Then—the whole vision was bathed in crimson light. Fiery streams surged to the heavens. The scorching sun blazed above—

And amidst it all, a beacon of war roared like a dragon.

Old Master Xun immediately slammed his hand down on the compass, no longer daring to continue.

His entire body went numb.

He sat there for a long, long time, unable to recover.

"Surely… surely not… No way… it can't be…"

"He left the sect less than a year ago, right? And already…"

Old Master Xun's brow twitched wildly.

He had once felt regretful—felt heartache—that he hadn't kept Mo Hua in the Great Void Sect.

But now—he suddenly felt relieved.

Relieved that he had sent that child away.

Otherwise, the Great Void Sect…

Old Master Xun sighed long and deeply, his heart heavy with bitterness.

"I only pray that when this child someday does something 'great'…

he won't go around telling everyone he came from my Great Void Sect…"

...

And at that moment, back in Lizhou— Inside a luxurious guest room of the Canglang Sect...

Mo Hua was staring blankly at the "Dragon Banner" in front of him.

The secret chamber had already been blown to pieces.

He had erased all traces of the Myriad Demon Dragon Mark.

The altar had also been thoroughly destroyed.

The moment the Dragon Banner was ignited, Mo Hua knew—he had once again done something… big.

So almost instantly, he had the impulse to destroy all evidence—he blasted the entire chamber into ash, then scattered even that ash—severing this karmic link on the material level completely.

The only problem that remained…

Was this Dragon Banner, inscribed with the words:

"The Heavens are Dead. Let the Wild Heaven Rise."

Mo Hua had no idea what to do.

If he destroyed it, he might desecrate a Great Wilderness artifact, provoke karmic backlash from the Great Wilderness, and earn its hostility.

But if he kept it—he was effectively carrying a rebel banner on his person.

And this very Dragon Banner might just be the first rebel flag that signaled the Great Wilderness uprising—of enormous "symbolic significance."

Which would make him, naturally…

The Dao Court's Number One Most Wanted Rebel.

Mo Hua was full of regret.

Deep regret.

"Karma," he thought bitterly, "is such a damn trap."

He hadn't even intended this. He had merely followed a few scattered clues, trying to glimpse a karmic thread—and somehow, just by peeking, he'd lit the rebellion's banner?

"Is the Great Wilderness's rebel flag really this easy to trigger!?"

Mo Hua was speechless.

"Those fools in the Great Wilderness are all good-for-nothings. How can they be so careless? A rebellion this major, and you didn't even hide it deeper?"

"If you'd hidden it even a little better, this wretched karma wouldn't have landed on me—

and I wouldn't have become the Dao Court's top 'traitor' for no reason!"

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.

But anger solved nothing.

All he could do was sigh and resign himself, then store the Wild Heaven Dragon Banner into his spatial ring.

"It's already been lit. Might as well keep it now…"

Fortunately, the storage ring his master had given him was a treasure in itself, possessing the ability to isolate karmic links. It probably wouldn't leak any secrets.

"As long as I don't say anything, no one will know I'm a 'rebel'…"

Mo Hua nodded seriously—then suddenly muttered in his heart:

"Come to think of it…

Did Master foresee that I'd cause all kinds of disasters one day,

and that's why he gave me this ring?"

"Master really is… worthy of being Master…"

Mo Hua sighed, a little emotionally.

At this point, he knew he could no longer stay at Canglang Sect.

He had to leave, and soon.

But with the Great Wilderness rebelling and war spreading,

the road ahead… would not be easy.

(End of this Chapter)