Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 643 – The Death Line

"Bishan Demon Lair… Heaven Beyond Heaven?"

Mo Hua and Gu Changhuai exchanged looks.

"Bishan Demon Lair—does that mean there's a den in Bishan City where rogue and demonic cultivators are hiding out?"

"And 'Heaven Beyond Heaven'—is that referring to the lair's location being in some secluded, hidden realm beyond normal perception?"

Mo Hua silently pondered.

"Bishan Demon Lair…"

Gu Changhuai's gaze gradually sharpened as well.

Mo Hua repeated the name under his breath, still puzzled.

Bishan City was an immortal city—teeming with cultivators, bustling with traffic, and even had the Dao Court Division stationed there.

Where could a so-called "demon lair" exist in such a place?

Was it a large base of the demonic sect?

Or just a temporary refuge for a few rogue and evil cultivators?

What exactly was hidden inside?

Could the Fire Buddha be hiding in that lair right now?

Unable to sort it out, Mo Hua leaned in closer and whispered:

"Uncle Gu, have you ever heard of this 'Bishan Demon Lair'?"

Gu Changhuai's face was grim as he shook his head.

The Dao Court Division had never received any intel about such a thing.

And under the very nose of the Division, right in Bishan City, how could anyone construct a demon lair?

But then again—Jia Ren had been captured by accident.

His storage pouch had been secretly hidden, and the message token was even sealed.

So the contents were unlikely to be fake.

Mo Hua frowned in thought—then suddenly, his eyes lit up.

Gu was a little surprised.

"You thought of something?"

Mo Hua nodded, then sorted his thoughts before asking:

"Uncle Gu, after the Xie Clan was wiped out, the Fire Buddha and the rest vanished right in front of the entire city—in the middle of the fire…"

"How… did they vanish?"

"Could it have been…"

He proposed a bold guess: "…Teleportation?"

Gu blinked, then shook his head.

"Impossible. Teleportation involves spatial force—it's a divine ability of fifth-tier cultivators in the Void Piercing Realm. In a second-tier province like ours, such power is restricted by the Heavenly Dao. It's not allowed."

Mo Hua thought that made sense too.

But since his own understanding of such advanced realms was limited, he wanted to confirm with Uncle Gu first—just to rule out spatial teleportation.

However, one thing still bothered him.

Spatial force was supposedly the domain of high-level Void Piercing cultivators, and it was forbidden in second-tier provinces.

But weren't storage pouches spatial too?

Why, then, could storage pouches work in lower-tier regions?

So he asked Gu directly.

Gu looked surprised.

These things weren't really secrets in major clans and sects.

But Mo Hua looked genuinely clueless—completely unaware.

Gu felt a strange sense of relief in his heart.

"So this little brat doesn't know everything after all…"

His brows lifted slightly as—for once—he patiently explained:

"Storage pouches are inanimate objects. Their spatial ability is passive, and can only hold non-living items."

"Fifth-tier spatial force, on the other hand, can be actively controlled by cultivators, and it allows for living things to be stored or transported through void movement or teleportation."

Mo Hua suddenly understood.

Then he asked,

"So how are storage pouches made? Do they involve formations?"

Gu shook his head.

"Not really. At least, they don't involve fifth-tier spatial formations. Any formations present are just regular ones—for reinforcement, aesthetics, dust-repelling, or aura concealment."

"The spatial capability in a storage pouch comes from… silkworm thread."

"Silkworm thread?" Mo Hua blinked.

Gu casually picked a storage pouch off the ground, tore a corner, and showed him the fine threads inside.

"Storage pouches are woven from the silk of a 'Blue Sky Silkworm'—a type of silkworm that naturally contains spatial force. Its silk carries a tiny extra-dimensional space within it."

"With a special refining method, you can weave it into a storage pouch—and voila: portable space."

"That's why I say its space is 'dead'—it exists objectively, but it can't be manipulated like Void Piercing spatial powers can."

"I see…" Mo Hua nodded and then asked,

"Then this Blue Sky Silkworm—it must be really expensive?"

"Not really."

Mo Hua was stunned.

"It has spatial power and it's not expensive?!"

Gu replied,

"The truly expensive ones are the 'Gold Sky Silkworm' and the 'Starry Sky Silkworm'—ancient breeds of spatial silkworms."

"Gold Sky? Starry Sky?"

Mo Hua had never heard of them and looked bewildered.

Gu felt even more satisfied, and continued with a smug tone:

"In ancient times, spatial artifacts and tools were extremely rare."

"Because crafting them required silkworm breeds that were nearly impossible to find, raise, or harvest from. Their silk was scarce and precious."

"Fewer silkworms meant fewer spatial treasures—but those that did exist were incredibly high quality."

"Without exception, they were made from the finest breeds—crafted using legendary silk, cocoons, or even pupae. They were top-tier cultivation treasures, and their internal space was vast."

"They were true treasures—holding the heavens, storing the earth."

"But as the cultivation world evolved and the number of cultivators exploded into the billions, demand for spatial items skyrocketed."

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"Beast tamers across generations had no choice but to breed new silkworm types—ones easier to raise, reproduce, and cheaper to produce."

"At the same time, brilliant artifact forgers refined the art of storage pouch creation—so the majority of cultivators in the world could afford one."

"The Blue Sky Silkworm is, to this day, the most viable breed for mass farming."

"Its silk is cheap, durable, though the internal space is a bit limited."

"Nowadays, over 80% of all storage pouches are woven from Blue Sky Silk."

"There are a few rarer, more expensive breeds too…"

"But those create much pricier storage items—not something your average cultivator can afford."

"As for the ancient ones—the Gold Sky Silkworm, the Starry Sky Silkworm…"

Gu sighed, looking somewhat regretful.

"Those species were already rare to begin with. Over thousands of years, they've been relentlessly hunted, captured, and are now nearly extinct."

"The few that remain have either become exclusive to the Central Dao Court, major noble clans, or top-tier sects…"

"Or they've gone into hiding—deep within ancient ruins, abyssal forbidden zones, or sealed realms, never to be seen again."

…

Gu had now fully explained the history of storage artifacts.

Mo Hua was amazed.

He had never imagined that something as common as a storage pouch carried such deep and hidden lore.

What seemed ordinary… was actually the result of thousands of years of cultivation civilization—countless generations of effort, evolution, and innovation.

Even the simplest objects held vast truths.

Mo Hua stood frozen for a moment, heart filled with awe.

Void Piercing Realm… Spatial Force…

Fifth-tier formations…

He wondered how long it would take before he could reach such a realm—learn such formations…

He sighed wistfully and dazed out for a second, before remembering:

Right now, catching the Fire Buddha was the real priority.

Since it wasn't teleportation—then that simplified things.

Under the second-tier laws, cultivators could only use a limited set of abilities.

Mo Hua was a formation master—an exceptionally well-learned one. He had an in-depth understanding of the powers and rules allowed at this level.

He thought carefully:

"If they didn't truly vanish… and it wasn't teleportation—then they simply became invisible."

"Invisible… meaning they went into hiding."

"It might not be a concealment technique—it's more likely to be a concealment artifact… or better yet, a concealment formation."

"The Fire Buddha and his crew wiped out the Xie Clan—then used a formation to vanish into the fire. Who knows where they slipped away to…"

"And those eight characters on the message token—'Bishan Demon Lair, Heaven Beyond Heaven'—are likely their hideout and a coded message."

"Bishan is a bustling immortal city—it should be impossible for demon cultivators to hide there."

"But if a demon lair does exist, it's probably cloaked by a concealment array…"

"The peaks of Bishan City are complex and rugged…"

"It'd be entirely possible to build a demon lair, cover it with a formation, and go unnoticed by average cultivators."

"As for 'Heaven Beyond Heaven'…"

"That likely points to the sheer cliffs and hidden ridges—places isolated and steep enough to house such a lair."

"'Heaven' might refer to a 'Sky Rift'…"

"There are often passageways hidden behind formations—seeming like paths to the heavens. And beyond those 'sky paths'—lies another world…"

…

Mo Hua's thoughts were razor-sharp, his words clear and eloquent as he laid everything out step by step.

Gu Changhuai was a bit taken aback.

This kid… is way too smart.

Not only was his thinking quick, but his knowledge of formations was deep. Even the strange little "practical experiences" he brought up seemed oddly specific—like he'd spent years dealing with rogue cultivators and demonic practitioners.

He knew exactly how they thought. How they moved. How they hid.

Something about this didn't feel quite right.

Gu Changhuai hesitated for a moment, then asked, a little suspiciously,

"How do you know all this?"

Mo Hua didn't hide it.

"I've seen it before, so the impression stuck."

"You've seen it?"

Gu raised a brow.

Mo Hua nodded.

"Back when I was still in Tongxian City, working as a demon hunter…"

"The rogue cultivators hiding in Dahuang Mountain used a concealment array to block off the back mountain path. Then they used the heavy fog to ambush travelers, rob and kill—classic outlaw behavior."

"I've also seen some corpse-refining cultists who built a stronghold behind a narrow canyon—had a whole corpse temple going."

Gu frowned.

"I thought you were a formation master? Since when were you a demon hunter?"

Mo Hua replied matter-of-factly,

"My father was a demon hunter. I just inherited the family trade—what's so strange about that? It's a craft passed down through generations. I couldn't just let it die out."

"But I was born frail and didn't have the talent for monster hunting, so I had to find another path."

"So now, I'm a demon hunter, and a formation master, and also… kind of a part-time Dao Court agent. Well, technically, I'm an 'off-the-books' auxiliary cultivator…"

He sighed and added helplessly:

"What can I say? I grew up poor. Had to suffer a bit. Try everything."

Gu looked at his soft-skinned, baby-faced expression and those occasional moments of cheeky boldness and thought,

"Suffered, huh?"

He didn't believe it for a second.

But still—

"You've only lived a dozen or so years… and your life's already packed," Gu commented.

Demon hunter, rogue cultists, corpse-refining bandits…

Was he telling the truth, or just making it up? Hard to say.

"Not bad, huh?" Mo Hua said with a proud nod.

Gu just shook his head.

Whatever the case, Mo Hua's deduction did have logic behind it.

Especially his understanding of formations—

Gu Changhuai was now certain: when Mo Hua said he "was good with formations," he really meant it.

He'd originally assumed it was just a cover—some excuse his cousin used to pull strings and get Mo Hua into the Great Void Sect.

But now, it was looking like Mo Hua wasn't just "good"—his formation skills were approaching the realm of absurd genius.

In his life, Gu had seen talented disciples, and he'd seen ones skilled with formations.

But he'd never seen a disciple so good that he couldn't even follow his methods… someone whose talent left him completely speechless.

Gu could only smile bitterly.

His cousin had worked so hard to push Mo Hua into the Great Void Sect—

and it might actually have been a huge win for the sect.

Far from wasting a favor, the sect might owe her another one.

His feelings grew complicated.

After a pause, Gu finally nodded and said:

"I'll have someone investigate in that direction."

Mo Hua's eyes lit up.

"Then I…"

"You're done here."

Mo Hua froze.

Gu said bluntly:

"You have to go back to class."

"Huh?" Mo Hua was dumbfounded.

Gu shot him a side glance.

"What, you planning to freeload forever? The ten-day rest break's over. You're due back at the sect tomorrow. Stay out of the rest of this."

"Besides, even if we run into the Fire Buddha, it'll be a real fight—swords out, lives on the line. You wouldn't be able to help anyway."

He even patted Mo Hua's shoulder while he said it.

"Focus on your cultivation."

Mo Hua's heart went cold as ice.

He felt like he'd just been used and discarded.

In his mind, Uncle Gu was now stamped with the label "bridge-burner".

But he still had to return to the sect.

Skipping class without permission? Expulsion.

Mo Hua asked weakly,

"Can I take leave?"

Gu raised a brow.

"What's that got to do with me? I'm with the Dao Court Division, not a sect elder. I can't approve your leave."

Mo Hua had no comeback.

Gu waved his hand,

"Go on back."

So Mo Hua could only return to the Great Void Sect, deeply unwilling, dragging his feet like a condemned man.

Back in the sect, his days resumed: cultivating, attending classes, drawing formation diagrams.

But his heart?

Still obsessed with the Fire Buddha…

"My Falling Flame Technique…"

If he couldn't catch the Fire Buddha, if he couldn't obtain the real technique behind the Falling Flame spell…

Then his study of explosive fireball mutations would hit a dead end.

His spells would never become truly deadly.

What should I do?

Mo Hua couldn't let it go.

Every day, he sent messages asking about the investigation.

"Uncle Gu…"

"Uncle Gu…"

When he got no reply, he tried a bolder message:

"Gu Changhuai!"

That got a response:

"Mind your tone."

Mo Hua immediately backpedaled:

"Uncle Gu, Uncle Gu, any updates? Did you find the lair?"

"No."

The next day—

"Uncle Gu, any news?"

"No."

The next five days—

"Uncle Gu?"

"No."

Eventually, Mo Hua grew suspicious.

"Uncle Gu, you're not lying to me, are you…? Honesty is a virtue!"

Silence.

Mo Hua smirked.

"Knew it."

"Did you find the lair or not?"

Gu hesitated for a moment, then replied:

"Focus on your cultivation. Leave this matter to us."

Mo Hua was annoyed.

"If you won't tell me, don't come asking for help when you need it later! I won't lift a finger!"

Gu snorted to himself.

"Ask you for help? I'm a Dao Court Division commander—a Golden Core cultivator. What could I possibly…"

He stopped mid-thought.

His mind flashed back to how Mo Hua had cracked the message token.

Those bizarre, advanced formation methods…

The way he broke seals…

His uncanny sensitivity to array patterns…

Gu clenched his jaw.

He suppressed his pride and admitted:

He really might need that kid someday.

He let out a long sigh and responded:

"We found it."

Mo Hua's eyes lit up.

"How?"

Gu sighed again and started explaining:

"We ran a bait-and-switch. Publicly, we spread false rumors—saying the Fire Buddha had probably escaped to another region. That made it look like we relaxed our defenses inside Bishan City."

"But in truth, we increased surveillance and assigned people to watch around the clock."

"We knew if the Fire Buddha really was inside, he'd try to escape. He couldn't stay hidden forever."

"Sure enough, a few days later, we spotted a suspicious cultivator."

"Bishan City had already been locked down. Everyone's origin was verified and logged. But this man—he wasn't in any records."

"He had appeared out of nowhere…"

"Came out from the lair—testing the waters."

"We followed him. He made a loop through the city, then headed alone into the treacherous mountains to the north."

"Then—he vanished."

"So we brought in formation masters and concealment-breaking tools… and finally, we found the entrance to the demon lair."

Gu stopped.

Mo Hua urged,

"And then?!"

"That's it."

"Wait, what? Isn't that the demon lair? Isn't the Fire Buddha inside?"

"We can't get in…"

Gu Changhuai let out a heavy sigh.

"The Hanging Sky Solitary Mountain—sheer cliffs, a single path, and thick demonic aura on the other side. Who knows how many wicked cultivators are hiding in there?"

"If we charge in blindly, it'll be life or death… and we might alert them prematurely."

"Besides, the place is surrounded inside and out by formations."

Mo Hua frowned.

"Doesn't the Dao Court have plenty of manpower and formation masters?"

Gu fell silent for a long moment before replying:

"…That's something I can't tell you."

Mo Hua froze, then muttered inwardly,

"So secretive…"

After a moment of thought, he asked,

"Want me to help?"

Gu was firm.

"No."

"No need to be polite."

"I'm not being polite."

"I won't take any risks or fight," Mo Hua coaxed, "I'll just look at the formations, maybe help spot a weakness…"

That actually made Gu hesitate.

"Don't you have class?" he asked reluctantly.

Mo Hua grinned to himself.

Uncle Gu clearly hit a wall and needs someone awesome—like me—to fix it.

"I can try to request leave."

Gu fell silent again.

And Mo Hua understood—

Uncle Gu was just too proud to ask for help.

So Mo Hua "kindly" gave him a way out and messaged:

"Uncle Gu, if the sect grants me leave, then I'll come help catch the Fire Buddha?"

Only then did Gu "reluctantly" reply:

"Fine…"

But the relief in his words was obvious.

Mo Hua shook his head.

No helping it.

He had settled things with Gu, but getting leave from the sect was another headache.

Regular elders could approve a day or two, but anything longer required higher authority.

And catching the Fire Buddha wasn't going to be a quick job.

Even if everything went smoothly, it would take at least six to seven days.

Even with the two-day rest break, he'd still need five days of leave.

Only one person could grant that—

Elder Xun.

But Elder Xun… yeah, definitely wouldn't approve if Mo Hua told him the truth:

"Elder, I need five days off to help the Dao Court catch a murderous late-stage Foundation Establishment rogue who practices forbidden arts and wiped out entire families."

Unless Elder Xun had gone senile, there was no chance he'd agree.

So…

Time to fudge the truth a bit.

Mo Hua went to Elder Xun and tried a different story:

"The Dao Court invited me to help draw a formation. It'll take about five days."

Elder Xun looked thoroughly confused.

"The Dao Court? Invited you? To draw a formation? And for five days?"

Mo Hua braced himself and nodded.

"Why?" Elder Xun pressed.

Mo Hua hedged,

"The invitation came from Commander Gu. I don't know all the details…"

Elder Xun frowned.

"Why go to the Dao Court to draw a formation? Why not just do it here? And five days? That's too long…"

Mo Hua sighed, feeling a little discouraged.

But Elder Xun paused mid-sentence, and suddenly asked:

"Wait—you said… Commander Gu from the Dao Court?"

"Mm-hmm!" Mo Hua nodded quickly.

"How do you even know someone like that?"

"I know Aunt Wan from the Shangguan family. Commander Gu is her cousin."

Elder Xun blinked in surprise.

Then asked:

"Did he say what kind of formation it is?"

Mo Hua shook his head.

"No, just said it's a high-grade second-rank formation. Very difficult, so it'll take several days."

Elder Xun gave Mo Hua a long, thoughtful look.

The Dao Court… the Gu family…

The Gu family held deep roots and wide influence within the Dao Court.

If Mo Hua really had connections with the Gu family, that could be very helpful in the future.

At the very least, he wouldn't get randomly targeted by the Dao Court.

After a moment's thought, Elder Xun asked:

"It's just formation work? No danger?"

"None!" Mo Hua said firmly.

"Very well." Elder Xun nodded.

"Go see Elder Song. Tell him I approved your five-day leave."

Mo Hua's face lit up with joy.

"Thank you, Elder!"

"Mm." Elder Xun nodded again, then added:

"Take the work seriously. The Gu family's one of the few upright branches in the Dao Court. If you can form a good relationship, all the better."

"Absolutely! Don't worry, Elder!"

Mo Hua grinned.

He and Uncle Gu? Practically buddies now.

"Off you go." Elder Xun waved him away.

Mo Hua bowed respectfully, then couldn't help skipping off excitedly.

He went straight to Elder Song and said:

"I'd like to request five days of leave. Elder Xun approved it."

Elder Song was dumbfounded.

At the same time, he felt a little annoyed.

"Elder Xun's way too indulgent with this kid!"

Five days off? What kind of nonsense is that?!

Still, he signed the form, stamped it, and handed it over.

"Whatever. It's not my problem. He can take ten days for all I care—I just stamp the forms."

Mo Hua, leave approved and in hand, skipped back to his quarters.

His timing was perfect.

Five days of leave, plus two days of rest, made a clean seven.

He had exactly seven days to catch the Fire Buddha, get the real Falling Flame Technique, and lay the groundwork to upgrade his fireball mutation spell into a proper forbidden technique.

Any longer, and it'd be out of his hands.

Seven days later, the Dao Court would either capture or lose the Fire Buddha.

Either way, if he wasn't involved, the Falling Flame Technique would slip away forever.

All his hard work—down the drain.

Which meant—

Mo Hua straightened his tiny shoulders, his gaze deadly serious:

"In seven days—Fire Buddha. Must. Die."

(End of this Chapter)