Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 644: Water-Hidden Jade

The next day, Mo Hua took his leave from the Great Void Sect and headed out.

First stop: the Dao Court Bureau of Qianxue Prefecture—just as he and Gu Changhuai had agreed.

They were to meet there before heading together to Bishan City.

Inside the Dao Court Bureau, Gu Changhuai had returned specifically to receive Mo Hua and handed him a storage pouch.

"What's this?" Mo Hua asked.

"Supplies. Standard issue for Dao Court operations," Gu said flatly.

Mo Hua opened the pouch—inside were some pills, spirit stones, talismans, and a standard Dao Court robe.

"Don't wear your Great Void Sect uniform—it's too conspicuous. Change into the issued robe."

"Oh."

Mo Hua changed into the Dao Court robe. He looked both cute and solemn, except…

The robe was too big. The sleeves hung down awkwardly—it was clearly a size too large.

"Uncle Gu, this is too big."

"Deal with it. That's the smallest size we've got."

"You can't get custom ones?"

Gu sighed, exasperated.

"You're not even formally on the roster. Why would we tailor one for you?"

Mo Hua muttered,

"Stingy…"

A whole Fifth-Grade Dao Court Bureau, and they're this cheap?

Still, the Fire Buddha mission was urgent.

Mo Hua just tightened the belt, rolled up his sleeves, and declared:

"Let's go."

Seven days to catch the Fire Buddha and acquire the Falling Flame Technique—no time to waste.

"Mhm." Gu nodded and led Mo Hua outside.

Halfway out, they ran into a middle-aged man wearing a black Dao Court uniform. He had a pale face, narrow eyes, and a smile that looked a bit too pleasant.

"Commander Gu."

The man greeted them with a smile.

Gu's expression turned cold.

"Commander Xiao."

Mo Hua observed Gu from the side. His cold response made it obvious—he didn't like this Xiao guy one bit.

Clearly, they had a bad history.

Commander Xiao was about to say more when he noticed Mo Hua and looked visibly surprised.

"This little cultivator…"

Wearing a Dao Court robe—ill-fitting, clearly something thrown on at the last minute.

Wearing that meant he was with the Dao Court.

But judging by his youthful face and short stature, he clearly didn't have the qualifications to join.

Even more bizarre—he was following right behind the infamous "Cold-Faced Judge" Gu Changhuai, who didn't let anyone near him.

Something didn't add up…

"And this little brother is…?" Commander Xiao smiled like spring sunshine, but his eyes were sharp and chilling—like a tiger pretending to be a cat.

Mo Hua instantly gave him a nickname in his heart:

"Smiling Tiger."

Just as Mo Hua was thinking up some excuse to deal with this Smiling Tiger, Gu spoke coldly:

"Commander Xiao, we're on official business."

Interrupted, Commander Xiao turned back to Gu. Though his eyes flickered, his smile didn't falter.

"Still on the Fire Buddha case, I assume?"

"Yes."

"That's been dragging on for a while now…"

Gu said nothing.

Commander Xiao sighed.

"The Fire Buddha's massacre was brutal—everyone's on edge. Higher-ups are pressuring us hard…"

"But… even if it's a tough case, dragging it out like this doesn't look good."

"Can't really blame the higher-ups. I'd say the issue lies with Commander Gu's inefficiency."

"Perhaps…" he leaned in and said quietly,

"Arrest a few scapegoats, close the case—that'd be enough to satisfy the top."

Gu's gaze sharpened.

"Is that an order from the Director… or your own brilliant idea, Commander Xiao?"

Commander Xiao froze for a moment, then smiled with feigned modesty.

"Commander Gu, I wouldn't dare joke like that…"

"We're both commanders. Orders are orders—we follow them. Just remember not to…"

He smiled with veiled menace:

"…act on your own."

Gu lost patience. His face darkened.

"Mind your own business, Commander Xiao. Don't tell me how to do mine."

Commander Xiao stiffened.

Gu scoffed and turned away, robes swishing as he left.

Mo Hua pretended he hadn't heard a thing, calmly following Gu like an obedient shadow.

Only Commander Xiao remained standing behind.

His smile faded as he muttered coldly,

"Gu family folk… always so upright. They'll all die clean someday."

Inside the carriage heading for Bishan City, Mo Hua whispered:

"Uncle Gu… you and that Commander Xiao… enemies?"

Gu didn't respond. He seemed deep in thought.

Mo Hua tried again:

"He's not a mole in the Dao Court, is he?"

Gu blinked.

"What makes you think that?"

"Just a feeling…"

Gu sighed,

"We can't run the Dao Court on feelings alone…"

"Commander Xiao…" Mo Hua mulled,

"If he's a commander, he's probably from a noble family too, right? Xiao family… are they like the Gu family—also close to the Dao Court?"

Gu looked a little surprised, but nodded.

"Yes. In fact, the Xiao family is even more powerful than the Gu family. The current Director of the Qianxue Dao Court Bureau—he's a Xiao."

"Oh…"

Mo Hua nodded, then asked curiously,

"Then this Commander Xiao…"

"Don't ask." Gu cut him off.

"Don't go poking into the Xiao family's business. Stay far away if you want to stay out of trouble."

"Don't get yourself framed for some made-up crime—I'm not bailing you out of prison."

"Alright…"

Mo Hua agreed.

Taking advice seriously was also a good habit.

So—he'd drop the Xiao family topic. It wasn't really his business anyway.

The carriage rattled along quickly, though Bishan City was still a ways off.

Perfect time to ask about the Fire Buddha.

"Uncle Gu… can we not get into the Devil's Den?"

Gu looked out the window and sighed.

"There's a formation…"

"What kind?"

Gu glanced at Mo Hua in silence.

And Mo Hua realized—

Uncle Gu was a 'formation-blind.'

If he knew what formation it was, he wouldn't have asked for help.

Fortunately, Gu was a formation-blind—otherwise, Mo Hua would have had no excuse to get involved with the Fire Buddha mission.

Gu squinted at Mo Hua suspiciously.

He sensed that Mo Hua was mentally roasting him just now.

"Were you just insulting me in your head?"

"Nope!" Mo Hua denied immediately.

Gu snorted lightly.

Mo Hua asked again:

"Doesn't the Dao Court have other formation masters?"

Gu's expression turned a little complicated.

No one else was around, and they still needed Mo Hua's help, so Gu finally came clean:

"The best formation masters are all in the Celestial Pivot Pavilion (Tianshu Pavilion)."

"But they're aloof. Even the Dao Court can rarely hire them."

"What we can hire are usually… subpar."

"The Fire Buddha case happened in Bishan City—a second-rank city. The criminals are all second-rank. So despite how nasty it is, it's still technically a second-rank case."

"Third-rank formation masters won't bother with it."

"And the ones who are second-rank? Too scared to show up."

"Basic fieldwork like site analysis or cracking small formations is okay. But a full-blown siege like this—ordinary formation masters don't have the means to protect themselves. It's extremely dangerous."

"Still, I pulled some strings with the Gu family and got a few second-rank formation masters to come—but…"

Gu frowned and sighed:

"The mountain paths are hidden, and the formations are obscure."

"They couldn't figure out anything useful—let alone offer actual help."

Mo Hua now understood.

No wonder proud old Gu would swallow his pride and let him join.

Mo Hua grinned,

"Don't worry, Uncle Gu! If it's just a second-rank formation, I've got this!"

Then he paused, thinking he might've bragged too hard, and amended:

"As long as it's below mid-tier second-rank. Anything under high-tier, I can handle."

Judging by the situation, someone among the Fire Buddha's crew had formation skills.

But the Fire Buddha himself was late-stage Foundation Establishment, so his subordinate shouldn't be stronger than him.

And generally, formation skill lags behind cultivation level.

Example: mid-stage Foundation = entry-level second-rank formation master.

Late-stage = mid-tier second-rank.

Peak late-stage or Core Formation = high-tier second-rank.

Those who matched cultivation and formation skill were already elite—unlikely to join a bunch of criminals.

So the Devil's Den formation was probably mid-tier second-rank at most—well within Mo Hua's capabilities.

He looked smug and confident.

For once, Gu Changhuai found Mo Hua's smug confidence… rather pleasing.

...

The two continued in silence all the way until they reached Bishan City.

Once inside, they made their way through the streets, heading north toward the base of the mountains. There, steep peaks loomed into view—dangerous terrain, jagged cliffs stacked upon one another, with treacherous paths winding through them.

Gu Changhuai led Mo Hua to a mountain cave.

The cave entrance was covered in green vines, but inside it opened wide—it was a temporary base for the Dao Court Bureau, with dozens of enforcers whispering among themselves.

As Gu and Mo Hua entered, all the enforcers stood and respectfully saluted Gu Changhuai, though their gazes toward Mo Hua were filled with confusion.

Why would Commander Gu bring along such a young cultivator?

Gu didn't bother explaining. He simply pointed to two men and said,

"Gu Quan, Gu An—you two, come with me."

From the crowd, two enforcers stepped forward, both wearing standard robes. They looked almost identical in build and appearance.

They bowed. "Yes, Young Master."

"Gu…" Mo Hua didn't need to guess—clearly, these two were part of the Gu family. And judging by their uncanny resemblance, they had to be twins.

Gu Changhuai led Mo Hua along with Gu Quan and Gu An out of the cave. After walking through the mountain paths for about a quarter of an hour, they stopped in front of a giant stone cliff.

Mo Hua looked up and saw the rock wall stretching across the mountain summit.

A natural crevice split the middle, with both sides flanked by sheer cliff—like a narrow slice of sky cutting through the mountain.

"Heaven's Thread…" Mo Hua murmured.

He turned to Gu and asked,

"A hidden realm behind the heavens—so the Devil's Den is beyond that crevice?"

Gu nodded.

The passage was so narrow only one person could pass through at a time.

Gu led the way, Mo Hua followed, and the twins brought up the rear.

Once they passed through the crevice, their view opened up completely.

The sky was vast, clouds rolling above and beside them. Below, a broken cliff jutted out—beyond it, there was no path.

Gu pointed into the distance. Mo Hua followed his gaze and saw, far off and faint, a lone peak floating in midair like a mirage.

"That's the Devil's Den," Gu said after a pause.

"You were right. There's a stone bridge beneath our feet, carved with concealment arrays. That's why no one can see the den from outside."

Mo Hua stared into the sky beyond the cliff and felt a strange déjà vu.

He remembered the back of Dahei Mountain—how he once found a hidden stone road on a cliff behind an array.

A Concealment Array…

Mo Hua sighed.

Noble clans used formations to profit and control.

Criminal and demonic cultivators used formations to cover their tracks and commit evil.

Only the bottom-tier rogue cultivators lived harsh lives—barely able to afford even the lowest-level formations.

It was the same in Tongxian City of Lizhou. Same in Nanyue. And now, it seemed, Qianzhou wasn't any different…

When would formations—born of the great Dao of heaven and earth—truly serve the common people?

Mo Hua felt a wave of emotion.

But this wasn't the time for sentiment.

He released his divine sense and swept below the cliff into the empty sea of clouds.

Within his divine sense, a stone bridge emerged—hidden to the eye but revealed to his mind.

On the bridge, formation lines were clearly carved.

There was a Reinforced Earth-Stone Array, a small Primordial Magnetic Array for detection, and a Concealment Array for hiding presence.

Mo Hua stared for a while—then suddenly froze.

"The Concealment Array…"

There was something off about it.

He focused deeply—and his heart skipped a beat.

Nineteen-pattern, Second-Rank Formation!

The concealment array he learned was a Nine-pattern First-Rank formation. He hadn't yet studied the second-rank version.

And now he realized—he had overlooked something crucial.

Concealment arrays are among the hardest of all standard formations.

A First-Rank concealment array has nine patterns.

A Second-Rank one? Quite likely nineteen.

He had misjudged it.

Which meant: among Fire Buddha's crew, there was a high-level Second-Rank formation master!

"I got careless…" Mo Hua sighed inwardly.

To fool Foundation Establishment cultivators, the concealment array had to be at least Second-Rank.

And with nineteen patterns, this one was undoubtedly top-tier within the rank.

Someone capable of drawing such an array… was a high-ranking Second-Rank formation master.

Which likely meant… they were Core Formation stage?

Mo Hua frowned and thought.

No… probably not Core Formation.

Such a person wouldn't be working for Fire Buddha. He wasn't qualified to command someone of that level.

Most likely, it was a late-stage or peak Foundation Establishment cultivator.

A high-level Second-Rank formation master at late-stage Foundation…

Mo Hua's eyes sharpened.

This guy was a formation expert.

And probably had serious talent in the art.

Mo Hua frowned slightly.

A high-level Second-Rank formation master—that's no joke…

But he couldn't just back down. The Devil's Den still needed exploring. The Fire Buddha still needed catching.

Mo Hua weighed his options.

So what if it's high-rank?

Since arriving in Qianxue Prefecture, he'd never properly faced off against a top-tier Second-Rank formation master.

This could be good training.

And compared to combat or spell duels, formation duels rarely resulted in death. It'd be tough, but not necessarily dangerous.

So yes—he'd still go into the Devil's Den.

Just… not alone.

Mo Hua reflected.

Back at Heishan Stronghold, he'd gone in solo—but in hindsight, that had been far too risky. His parents had worried sick.

Now that he was more mature, he should act more cautiously.

He'd still go—but he'd bring a bodyguard.

A Core Formation stage bodyguard.

Mo Hua sneaked a glance at Gu Changhuai.

Gu noticed his weird look and asked,

"What did you find?"

"What did you see?"

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then replied truthfully,

"Fire Buddha's group likely has a high-level Second-Rank formation master."

Gu Changhuai's brows furrowed deeply.

A high-level Second-Rank formation master… that was a real problem.

"So what do we do now?" Mo Hua asked.

Gu paused to think, then said slowly,

"No matter what, we can't let Fire Buddha get away. Even if there's a high-rank formation master involved, we'll find a chance to kill them too."

"But… how are you going to get over there?" Mo Hua asked in confusion.

"If you cross so openly, won't you be discovered?"

Gu replied,

"I brought some rare concealment spiritual artifacts from the Gu family. We'll use their own tricks against them—we'll go in hidden as well."

Mo Hua's eyes lit up.

As expected of Uncle Gu—he's got that 'bodyguard' energy down perfectly!

He'd even planned out how to approach.

"Then I'm going too!" Mo Hua declared.

Gu was stunned.

Gu An and Gu Quan exchanged glances.

This kid… gutsy, isn't he?

Gu immediately refused.

"You can't go."

If the boy died in there, how would he explain it to his cousin?

Mo Hua said,

"If I don't go, even if you're invisible, you'll still be detected…"

Gu frowned.

Mo Hua pointed toward the cliff.

"On the stone bridge below, aside from the concealment array, there's also a small Primordial Magnetic Array…"

"These arrays are meant to alert the enemy."

"The moment you touch one, the magnetic feedback will alert Fire Buddha that someone's crossing."

"He might block the exit, or ambush halfway through—or worse, just destroy the bridge. If that happens, you're as good as dead."

"But…" Mo Hua raised his brows, "if you take me with you, that won't be a problem!"

"Those little Primordial Magnetic Arrays? They can't fool me."

Gu's face darkened.

This was exactly why—even though he had the stealth tools—he hadn't dared to cross the bridge earlier.

He'd worried it was booby-trapped.

But letting Mo Hua go into the Devil's Den still didn't sit right with him.

"It's just a Primordial Magnetic Array. I'll send someone back to the Gu estate to get a few magnetic compasses. We'll probe bit by bit…"

Mo Hua shook his head.

"Too slow. And what if there are other alert-type formations?"

"If you miss even one, Fire Buddha will find you out."

"If he's prepared and escapes the den, this whole mission will fail."

…And then I won't get to learn the Falling Fire Technique, either… Mo Hua muttered in his heart.

Gu began to waver.

Mo Hua read his expression and pressed his advantage:

"And this is just the bridge. Once you reach the den itself, there'll probably be even more formations inside."

"In that situation, don't you need a clever, quick-witted, and formation-savvy little formation master to help solve your problems?"

He blinked innocently.

Gu didn't want to acknowledge all those self-proclaimed titles—but he couldn't deny them either.

If he actually had a better solution to the formations, he wouldn't have brought Mo Hua in the first place.

Gu was silent for a long moment. In the end, he sighed:

"Fine. You can come with us—just to scout things out. But remember the Three Rules."

"Mm-hmm!" Mo Hua nodded quickly.

"Stick with you, don't act, just be a freeloader."

He remembered that much, at least.

Gu sighed again, clearly resigned.

Gu An and Gu Quan remained composed, but were inwardly stunned.

They had served in the Dao Court Bureau for years and rarely visited the Gu family—this was their first time meeting Mo Hua.

And their first time seeing anyone bargain with their young master like this.

Even more shocking was seeing Gu Changhuai actually give in.

It was also the first time they'd ever seen that "helpless and lowkey headache" look on his usually cold and prideful face…

In that moment, they couldn't help but feel a deep respect for Mo Hua.

Gu then brought out a few jade pendants and handed one to each person.

"This is a Water-Veil Jade—a Second-Rank concealment spiritual artifact. Once worn, it cloaks your body in watery light and hides your presence."

Gu An and Gu Quan received theirs respectfully.

Mo Hua hesitated, then "graciously accepted" his.

Sure, he could already use concealment techniques—his was even the advanced Five Element Stealth Technique—but hey, an extra layer of protection never hurt.

Plus, this jade looked expensive. Definitely worth a fortune in spirit stones.

Can't let Uncle Gu's kindness go to waste.

Mo Hua quietly tucked the Water-Veil Jade into his robes.

Before departure, Gu gave one final warning:

"If anything happens, don't worry about us. Just run. Save your own little life."

"Got it!" Mo Hua nodded eagerly.

And so, the group set out.

There were four of them in total:

Gu Changhuai, Core Formation stage

Gu An and Gu Quan, both late Foundation Establishment

Mo Hua, early Foundation Establishment

All four concealed their presence completely, and one by one, stepped onto the invisible stone bridge that led to the Devil's Den.

(End of Chapter)