Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 1139: Instant Kill

In a remote mountain realm.

Mo Hua used the Flowing Water Steps, darting forward like a stream of shimmering light, fleeing desperately.

Behind him, Elder Xu and three other elders from the Corpse Yin Valley pursued, enveloped in sinister corpse aura.

After a while, they passed through a mountain valley. Scattered within were several villages, home to groups of rogue cultivators.

Elder Ma was about to descend and slaughter the villagers.

Just then, Mo Hua, fleeing ahead, seemed to sense something and frantically poured spiritual power into his escape technique, speeding up further.

Elder Ma was momentarily stunned.

Elder Xu sneered, "The brat must be panicking we'll massacre the village. He's trying to lure us away faster…"

"But burning through his spiritual power like that… he won't last long."

Along the way, they'd already noticed that Mo Hua's spiritual foundation was actually very shallow.

His survival until now had relied entirely on his bizarre concealment and escape techniques. But with his current full-speed flight, the spiritual drain was unsustainable—he'd be exhausted soon.

This was the fundamental difference between the righteous path and the demonic one.

The demonic path used any means necessary—easier, more efficient.

But those on the righteous path had to maintain virtue, protect the innocent, and restrain themselves. They were constantly held back.

In this world, walking the righteous path was much harder than taking the demonic one.

A single misstep, and you could lose your life over a few insignificant rogue cultivators.

Elder Ma glanced at Elder Xu. "Should we kill the villagers?"

Elder Xu focused his spiritual sense on the fleeing Mo Hua and chuckled darkly. "Let's give the brat a little face. Spare them for now."

Elder Ma nodded. "At this pace, he won't last an hour before his spiritual energy runs dry…"

Elder Xu's eyes were full of malice. Along the way, the tricks and humiliations Mo Hua had inflicted—he remembered them all.

Once they caught him, they'd give him a proper "lesson."

"Chase!"

The four elders of Corpse Yin Valley accelerated, continuing the pursuit.

Another half an hour passed. Mo Hua's speed gradually slowed. Clearly, with no tricks and only raw speed, he was struggling to sustain his spiritual energy.

The four elders exchanged grins, their eyes turning feral.

But just then, Mo Hua, who had been fleeing along the edge of the second-grade mountain range, suddenly turned and dashed into an unfamiliar third-grade region.

The elders were stunned, confused.

"Is he looking to die? He actually dared enter a third-grade region?"

Until now, Mo Hua had been able to hold out against the four Golden Core cultivators mainly due to two things: his bizarre, unpredictable techniques—and the fact that he never left the second-grade region.

The second-grade zone acted as a "barrier."

Under the restrictions of Heaven's Will, the four Golden Core elders couldn't fully unleash their power there.

But stepping into a third-grade territory removed those restrictions.

And he, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, surrounded by four Golden Core experts… what else could that be but suicide?

Elder Xu frowned.

"Has he gone mad?"

But it didn't make sense—up until now, despite Mo Hua's arrogance, he had proven cunning and calculating.

He wouldn't do something meaningless.

Elder Ma spoke seriously, "Could there be allies ahead? Or an ambush waiting in that third-grade zone?"

Elder Xu's face darkened.

It wasn't impossible.

With such strange cultivation methods, this brat clearly wasn't from an ordinary background. His sect likely had powerful figures behind him.

"We can't delay any longer!" Elder Xu's eyes flashed coldly. "Stick close! The moment he enters the third-grade region, unleash your full Golden Core power. Capture him as fast as possible—no delays! The longer we wait, the more things can change!"

The others all nodded. "Understood!"

Not even half an hour later, Mo Hua was already showing signs of exhaustion.

Elder Xu's eyes gleamed murderously—when suddenly, Mo Hua's figure flickered and vanished into a mist of water.

The Corpse Yin elders froze.

Gone again.

Elder Xu gritted his teeth and used the same old trick—summoning the Earthbound Corpse and feeding it blood.

But this time, he gave it a lot more.

This Earthbound Corpse wasn't something to be summoned lightly.

Over the course of the pursuit, Elder Xu had already overused the summoning. The once "obedient" corpse had become greedy—drunk on his blood.

One more summoning, and the Earthbound Corpse might just go berserk and devour its "master."

After all, every contract-bound strange corpse harbored the desire to kill its corpse master—so they could consume and evolve from them.

Seeing the hunger in the corpse's eyes, Elder Xu knew—he couldn't delay any longer.

Speaking a dark and obscure corpse tongue, he asked the Earthbound Corpse where Mo Hua had gone, then pointed forward furiously:

"He's entered the third-grade zone—kill him!"

The four Corpse Yin Valley elders immediately unleashed their full strength and crossed into the third-grade region.

But moments later, they found… nothing.

No sign of Mo Hua.

No trace of his aura under spiritual sense.

Elder Xu frowned, beginning to second-guess himself—when the corpse tongue whispered again in his ear.

For some reason, the Earthbound Corpse had suddenly "helpfully" told him where Mo Hua was—without asking for more blood.

As the master, Elder Xu didn't overthink it.

Following the Earthbound Corpse's guidance, he locked his spiritual sense onto a concealed aura within a canyon.

With a wave of his hand, Elder Xu unleashed his green corpse aura, blanketing the canyon.

Now that they were in a third-grade region, his full Golden Core strength could be used—his corpse arts expanded farther and struck harder.

Mo Hua was forced to reveal himself and flee once more in desperation.

The moment he appeared, the other three Corpse Yin Valley elders—veterans all—bared their teeth and summoned their Golden Core powers.

Crimson, crystallized corpse energy enveloped their bodies. One elder's body turned entirely corpse-like, another summoned a bronze corpse, and the last wielded a Blood Sword of Corpse Runes.

They all charged at Mo Hua.

Elder Xu followed, surging into the canyon.

Four Golden Core corpse cultivators.

A full-force encirclement.

For a Foundation Establishment cultivator, this was a certain death.

But just as the four entered the canyon, a sudden flash of five-colored light lit up the walls.

The surrounding cliffs glowed with intricate, layered formation marks.

The elders' expressions changed drastically.

An array formation! And not just one—dozens!

The marks were fresh—drawn just now?

Could a formation master really set this many in so little time?

Before they could process it, the formations detonated.

Unfortunately, due to time constraints, Mo Hua had only laid out low-tier second-grade formations—their power was limited.

Barely a threat to Golden Core cultivators.

Still, the narrow canyon was blasted into rubble. The surrounding cliffs began to collapse, burying the Corpse Yin Valley elders under falling stone.

Forced by circumstance, the four had to separate and dodge the incoming avalanche.

Amid thunderous rumbles, clouds of dust filled the air as the mountainside crumbled, leaving debris everywhere.

Moments later, a pile of rocks in the corner shifted—shattered by a burst of corpse energy. Dust scattered.

Elder Xu emerged from the rubble, face icy cold.

"He collapsed the canyon… trying to slow us down…"

"Cheap tricks and petty formations."

To be played for fools again and again by a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator—Elder Xu had lost all patience. His gaze was pure malice now.

But scanning his surroundings, all he saw was stone. Even sweeping his spiritual sense—no sign of Mo Hua.

Then, once more, came the whisper of corpse tongue:

"Head west…"

Elder Xu took a step forward, but a sudden sense of unease crept into his heart.

Why was the Earthbound Corpse suddenly being so obedient? It wasn't even demanding blood this time and was actively guiding him?

Could it be… that it had finally been tamed after being fed enough blood?

For a brief moment, Elder Xu felt an uncontrollable surge of joy—but reason quickly stomped it down.

Gradually calming himself, Elder Xu looked toward the west.

That direction led to a narrow mountain path piled with rubble, winding toward a shadowy, unknown canyon mouth.

A vague sense of dread welled up in his chest. Something told him he shouldn't go.

But after a moment's thought, he sneered at himself.

"Ridiculous... I'm really growing old and cowardly."

"I'm a dignified elder of the Corpse Yin Valley—a major demonic sect—and I cultivate the esoteric corpse path... and I'm scared of a mere Foundation Establishment brat?"

"What's there to fear? That he'll kill me?"

With a cold snort and a murderous glint in his eyes, Elder Xu followed the path the Earthbound Corpse pointed out.

He didn't walk far before he sensed a trace of living aura. Another few dozen meters in, as he neared the canyon entrance, he saw a youth standing atop a massive boulder ahead.

The youth stood still, eyes closed, two fingers pressed against his brow.

Elder Xu found it odd—almost comical.

But then, for no discernible reason, every hair on his body stood on end. His meridians and bones began to tremble involuntarily, and an inexplicable chill of terror bloomed deep in his heart.

Alarm bells went off in Elder Xu's mind. His pupils contracted sharply—just in time to see Mo Hua… open his eyes.

They were beautiful.

Crystal clear like a mountain spring, deep and restrained like amber. Gold, black, and white swirled within them, giving off a mysterious and ancient divine radiance.

And they were terrifying.

They held the majesty of a ruler above all, the cold indifference that severed all fate, and a murderous intent as boundless as an abyss.

An exquisitely handsome face.

Eyes like those of a divine demon.

Between those eyes, a terrifying sword intent condensed—an edge that seemed capable of severing all existence in the world.

This... was the final scene Elder Xu would ever witness in his life.

Mo Hua lightly swept his fingers.

An invisible, resplendent sword light slashed through the air.

It all happened in a blink.

Elder Xu had just caught a glimpse of Mo Hua before the long-prepared God-Slaying Sword pierced his eyes, shattered his spiritual sea, annihilated his divine sense, and obliterated his soul.

His face still held traces of confusion and fear. His gaze went slack, then empty. He fell to his knees, spirit extinguished.

One sword. Life and death decided.

Almost simultaneously, Mo Hua—having unleashed his Sword Manifestation: Divine Thought Astral Projection—turned into a streak of waterlight, swiftly approached Elder Xu, snatched his Storage Ring, and vanished into a mist of water.

All that remained at the scene… was Elder Xu's corpse.

Before long, footsteps approached in the distance, along with the crashing sounds of a bronze corpse smashing through debris.

The other three Golden Core elders of Corpse Yin Valley regrouped, each controlling a corpse puppet, walking cautiously forward.

As they walked, one was speaking:

"Elder Xu, that damn brat escaped…"

Before he could finish, the three of them froze in their tracks.

They saw Elder Xu kneeling on the ground, unmoving, and for a moment, didn't understand what they were looking at.

As they stepped closer, they saw his pale face… and sensed his qi.

Their expressions changed drastically.

"He's… he's dead?!"

Dead?!

How?!

The three Corpse Yin Valley elders stared wide-eyed, their pupils trembling.

Four Golden Core elders had been chasing a Foundation Establishment cultivator—and in the brief time they'd split up, just the time to drink a cup of tea—Elder Xu, whose cultivation wasn't weak, had actually… died?

Absolutely absurd!

How could that be possible?!

And yet—the evidence lay before them.

One elder's voice trembled. "How… did Elder Xu die…"

Elder Ma stepped forward, examining Elder Xu's body closely. The more he looked, the colder he felt.

"No injuries on the body, no signs of spell damage, no spiritual backlash—nothing at all…"

Yet, Elder Xu was undeniably dead.

The only clue was in his lifeless, empty eyes—like a ghost or deity had reached into him and pulled out his soul, leaving behind a hollow shell.

All three elders felt their hairs standing on end. A creeping chill spread over their bodies.

Then came a terrifying realization— "Who… killed Elder Xu?"

Who could possibly possess such eerie means, able to kill—without a trace—a Golden Core demonic elder of Corpse Yin Valley, someone protected by an Earthbound Strange Corpse and trained in orthodox corpse-path techniques?

Who…?

A ghostly image of the young man suddenly flickered through everyone's mind.

One of the Corpse Yin Valley elders rasped hoarsely,

"Could it be… that brat…"

Elder Ma's expression darkened. He immediately snapped:

"Shut your mouth! Just a mere Foundation Establishment, and you think he could kill Elder Xu, a Golden Core of our Corpse Yin Valley?

What do you take our Valley's elders for? Weak chickens and stray dogs?!"

"Besides, with what could he possibly kill him?"

"From the moment we got separated to the moment Elder Xu died, it was only a few blinks of an eye.

You really think that brat could instantly kill a Golden Core in such a short time?

If that's the case, then he's no Foundation Establishment—he's ready for ascension!"

The other two elders nodded solemnly.

They also felt that the entire situation was far too bizarre to make sense.

"Then… who did kill Elder Xu?" one of them asked in a low voice.

Elder Ma stayed silent.

"Elder Ma…" the third Golden Core elder of Corpse Yin Valley asked cautiously,

"The real question is… that brat… do we still pursue him?"

The air grew heavy with silence.

Elder Ma's gaze wavered. He slowly shook his head:

"We can't pursue him anymore. Elder Xu is dead.

Without the Earthbound Corpse, we have no way of tracking that brat—no way to know where he's gone…"

The other two elders exhaled a breath they didn't realize they were holding.

They knew full well—even if Elder Xu likely wasn't killed directly by that brat…

His death was absolutely tied to him somehow.

Otherwise, how could a perfectly healthy Golden Core cultivator like Elder Xu suddenly just "drop dead" without injury or cause?

The image of Mo Hua had already cast a strange, eerie shadow over their hearts.

They didn't know what secrets that boy carried—

Whether it was some kind of supreme defensive treasure, an unprovokable karmic protection,

—Or perhaps… a hidden expert silently guarding him in the dark.

But with Elder Xu as a cautionary tale, the three remaining Golden Core elders knew—

They absolutely could not act rashly again.

Or they might just share his fate—dying suddenly, inexplicably, in the blink of an eye.

Besides, Elder Ma wasn't wrong:

Without Elder Xu and without the Earthbound Corpse, they had no way of tracking Mo Hua now.

"Wait... Elder Xu's storage pouch…" one of the elders suddenly spoke.

Elder Ma's heart trembled.

The storage pouch!

He remained outwardly calm, but his gaze swept like lightning across the rubble-strewn canyon, filled with hope…

Only to end in disappointment.

Gone.

He looked up and locked eyes with the other two elders—each of them immediately understanding what the others were thinking.

But no one said it aloud.

"Seems someone took it…"

"That brat?"

"Quite possibly…"

Their eyes flickered.

For a moment, Elder Ma even had the urge to chase after Mo Hua again—but fortunately, he forcibly squashed it.

There was something far more urgent to deal with.

"No time to waste. Quickly—bring Elder Xu's corpse back to Corpse Yin Valley," Elder Ma said grimly.

"Elder Xu raised an Earthbound Corpse and signed a corpse contract.

If we don't act fast, corpse-path backlash will begin—he'll be devoured by the Earthbound Corpse.

Once that happens, and the body is damaged… we'll never be able to explain ourselves."

Elder Xu was dead.

The storage pouch was gone.

If his corpse ended up half-eaten, the ancestor of Elder Xu's lineage in Corpse Yin Valley would definitely believe the three of them had murdered their fellow elder, stolen his inheritance, and summoned the Earthbound Corpse to destroy the body and cover it up.

That kind of accusation—they could never survive.

Just then, the ground beneath them trembled slightly.

Something underground was stirring.

A once-docile aura was becoming wild and violent.

Elder Ma's face changed drastically.

"No good! That beast has broken free—it's going to devour its master!"

In the corpse path, strange corpses couldn't be judged by normal ranking systems.

So long as they were handled according to corpse-path law, all was well.

But the moment those rules were broken, these monsters could become utterly unpredictable.

"Quick! Seal off the dust and take Elder Xu's corpse away!" Elder Ma commanded.

One of the elders immediately pulled out an iron coffin and sealed Elder Xu's corpse within, isolating it from the earth aura.

Another summoned a Bronze Corpse and an Iron Corpse to carry the coffin and swiftly retreat from the area.

Elder Ma brought up the rear.

Before leaving, he paused—and looked one last time into the distance, as if searching for the shadow of Mo Hua.

In the end, he sighed, unwilling but resigned.

"What a pity…"

Suppressing his greed, he stopped dwelling on it.

Together with the other two Golden Core elders, they escorted Elder Xu's corpse and left the territory.

...

Several dozen li away, within a mountain cave.

Inside the cave, layers of formations overlapped—an Illusion Array, a Divine Mist Array, a Concealment Array, and a Five Elements Gen Mountain Defense Array, stacked one over another, forming a fortress of concealment and protection.

Within this fortress, Mo Hua was seated in meditation.

He had just forcefully invoked the True Art of Divine Thought Sword Manifestation, slaying a Golden Core elder.

And in doing so—he had violated both of his forbidden oaths.

Now, the double backlash of slaughter qi was about to descend.

Sure enough, it didn't take long before the life fate he'd been suppressing violently stirred.

Pitch-black slaughter qi began to surge against the flow from his fate star, seeping into his spiritual sea.

The cold death aura of murderous karma crept into his divine soul, eroding his Dao Heart, attempting to corrupt and assimilate it.

In that instant, Mo Hua's skin turned ghastly pale, white to the point of being almost translucent and eerie.

The black mark at his brow grew darker, to a terrifying degree—like ink dripping into the soul.

He looked like a horrifying demonic fetus, saturated with sin and evil, on the verge of being born into the world.

A bone-deep chill—like it came from the Nine Hells of the Yellow Springs—invaded his entire being, impossible to dispel.

Mo Hua's body began to tremble uncontrollably.

(End of this Chapter)