Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 650 – Breach

Qiao Lao-Six returned from the outer hall, face pale with fear as he reported to Fire Buddha in a trembling voice:

"Big Bro… I swear I saw ghosts out there. The outer hall's completely empty… so many of our brothers… dead…"

Fire Buddha's gaze sharpened.

"How did they die?"

"I… I don't know…" Qiao Lao-Six stammered.

Fire Buddha remained silent, but blood energy boiled off his body, and the aura of killing intent thickened rapidly.

Qiao Lao-Six turned even paler and hurriedly added:

"It looks like they were… silently assassinated and dumped into the Corrupted River. Their flesh melted—no remains left…"

"There are still a few left in the middle hall…"

"But the outer hall's basically… wiped out…"

He swallowed hard, anxiety written all over his face.

"Impossible!"

A tall, lean, pale-faced demonic cultivator behind Fire Buddha spat coldly.

This was none other than Yin Leizi, who had once crossed paths—and blades—with Mo Hua.

Yin Leizi frowned.

"I just talked to Corpse Old-Two not long ago…"

His face darkened with fury.

"That bastard was still talking big. No way someone with his cultivation would end up dead—and without a body—that fast!"

At this, the other demonic cultivators behind Fire Buddha started recalling things as well.

"Same here…"

"I just messaged Butcher…"

"He cursed at me too—swore he'd kill me one day…"

"And that dog Jade Scholar…"

"Even Foreman Huo insulted me…"

…

They all looked at each other, a chill crawling up their spines.

"If they're all dead… then who's been messaging us?"

"Ghosts?"

Fire Buddha's expression was icy cold, killing intent coalescing like a storm cloud. His gaze slowly swept across the room—

then suddenly, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

"Master Yuan!"

Only then did the crowd recall that everything in the palace—every movement, every patrol—had been under Master Yuan's surveillance.

Blood winds rose. Red light flickered ominously.

One by one, the demonic cultivators activated their movement techniques and rushed toward the Primordial Magnetic Array Control Chamber in the middle hall.

When they arrived, they saw the formation guarding the chamber had already been dismantled.

They pushed open the door—

inside lay a cold corpse.

There was a bloody hole in the forehead and another at the dantian. The heart had been stabbed multiple times, hands broken, and the blood long dried.

It was a gruesome sight, but from the figure and clothing, it was clearly Master Yuan.

"Dead?!"

Shock rippled through the crowd.

A post-Foundation Establishment cultivator with nineteen-thread spiritual sense, a genius in formations, eccentric and half-mad—respected by all as a Demonic Array Master…

Dead—just like that?

Silently?

In his own control chamber?

Not a single demonic cultivator in the palace had noticed.

The crowd erupted:

"Who killed him?!"

"Who could kill him?!"

"This is the Holy Palace!"

"How did anyone even get in?!"

"Was it an inside job?!"

"Bullsh*t!"

…

"Could it be… a Dao Court Ascended came?" someone suggested in fear.

"Shut up, you idiot!"

"This is only a second-grade state—an Ascended can't kill that many in such a short time!"

"Besides, no Ascended would resort to such underhanded methods…"

…

Eventually, their shouting quieted, and all eyes turned to Fire Buddha.

He stepped forward to inspect the corpse.

As he examined it, he suddenly paused.

"This is… wind-type spiritual energy…"

"Very thick…"

"This isn't just late Foundation Establishment—it's been intentionally suppressed… it's… Golden Core."

"Golden Core. Wind-type. That means…"

Fire Buddha's eyes turned blood red. His hands trembled violently.

From his heart meridian, two fireball-like cores throbbed intensely.

The old wound on his chest suddenly flared, as if slashed a thousand times.

"Gu—Chang—Huai…"

Fire Buddha ground out the name, one word at a time.

Though his face was cold, his red kasaya was already bleeding fire—

and within the fire, faint greyish killing aura began to coil.

Qiao Lao-Six cried out in fear:

"Big Bro!"

All the other demonic cultivators stood silent, not daring to speak.

They watched as Fire Buddha's fury surged like a volcano, aura raging and threatening to spiral out of control.

Gritting his teeth, Fire Buddha muttered:

"Amitabha…"

Then he began reciting a Buddhist scripture to forcibly suppress the murderous rage.

His face once more returned to serene compassion.

The crowd let out a collective sigh of relief.

"Not an inside job… it was Dao Court's Commissioner," Fire Buddha said flatly, then resumed examining Master Yuan's corpse.

"Both hands were broken…"

"Struck on the crown with a blunt spiritual weapon…"

"Neck snapped… heart meridian stabbed from behind…"

"Eyes bulging… face burned… Fireball Technique?"

"Whose Fireball Technique? Interesting…"

He began reconstructing the scene of the assassination in his mind.

Then, spotting the dark green traces of blood on the floor, he froze again.

"Poison?"

The dagger was poisoned?

Fire Buddha frowned.

"That's not Gu Changhuai's style…"

"Has he grown underhanded over the years?"

Also, Master Yuan had soaked his consciousness in demonic blood wine, using the Demonic Eye to cultivate a terrifying divine sense.

How could he not have resisted at all before dying?

"Unless… Gu Changhuai had help?"

Fire Buddha's pupils shrank slightly.

"This person is meticulous, ruthless, skilled in divine sense techniques and formations…"

"Only such a person could account for every possibility—leaving even someone as unhinged as Master Yuan no room to fight back."

"Gu Changhuai has a powerful ally?"

His expression grew more and more grave.

"Big Bro, what now?" asked Yin Leizi in a low voice, breaking the tense silence.

Fire Buddha's gaze was dark as he thought deeply.

Then he said:

"Return to the inner sanctum. Lock it down. Destroy everything."

Everyone's expression changed.

"Big Bro?!"

"Everything?!"

Yin Leizi lowered his voice.

"Surely that's not necessary… That stuff is—"

Qiao Lao-Six added,

"Right, Big Bro, we can still hold the Holy Palace. Seal the doors, and even the Dao Court can't break in for now…"

The other demonic cultivators agreed:

"Exactly!"

"If Dao Court's dogs dare come, we'll kill them all and use them as sacrifices! Whether we leave or stay will be our choice!"

"Just a bunch of mutts—who do they think they are?"

"Slaughter them all!"

Fire Buddha shook his head.

"You don't understand…"

"Gu Changhuai is no ordinary official. He's not like the other useless Dao Court lackeys…"

"If they've managed to sneak in, it means this demon abyss is already compromised…"

"We can't hold the outer hall."

"All we can do is retreat to the inner sanctum."

"And just in case—everything inside the sanctum must be destroyed. Nothing can remain—not even a trace."

"The Holy Palace concerns far too many secrets…"

"Any sign of exposure must be completely eradicated. No outsider can ever learn the truth."

His tone was absolute, allowing no argument.

Everyone present felt a chill run down their spine and nodded in agreement.

Fire Buddha's tone softened slightly.

"Clean up the inner sanctum. Then we'll find a way to break out. I know you've all been cooped up here too long…"

"Once we escape, you'll have free reign for a while. I won't restrict you."

"Afterward, we'll leave Qian Prefecture. The world is vast—we'll be free."

"And when the dust settles, in a few decades… we'll come back and settle some old scores."

Hearing "free reign for a while," the other cultivators broke into depraved grins.

"We'll follow Big Bro!"

And so, carrying Master Yuan's corpse, the group left the secret chamber and returned to the inner sanctum.

Fire Buddha was the last to go.

Just before stepping into the dark, chaotic sanctum—its depths unknown—he paused.

He turned back and glanced at the vast, empty outer hall.

A question emerged in his mind:

"Master Yuan has been dead for some time…"

"Then who was it that discussed Buddhist doctrine with me?"

Fire Buddha frowned, pondered briefly, and then turned around, stepping into the depths of the demon palace.

The gates of the inner sanctum slowly closed, sealing Fire Buddha—and all the secrets—within.

…

Outside the Demon Abyss

Gu Changhuai had gone back to mobilize reinforcements.

Mo Hua remained on the stone bridge, protected by Gu Quan and Gu An, as he dismantled one formation after another—clearing the bridge of all kinds of defensive arrays and traps.

Once the dismantling was complete, Mo Hua sat at the edge of the bridge and waited.

But after a long time, still—no one arrived.

"He's just bringing some people over… does it really need to take this long?"

Mo Hua muttered under his breath.

According to Gu Changhuai, the Dao Court's enforcers were stationed just beyond the "One Line Heaven" canyon. It should've only taken half an hour for them to get here.

Had something gone wrong?

Mo Hua was a bit confused.

But since he had to keep an eye on the Demon Abyss, he could only stay put and wait patiently.

Time passed—he didn't know how long—until finally, the other side of the bridge bustled with activity as many cultivator auras appeared.

"They're here!"

Mo Hua perked up.

Gu Quan moved to receive them.

Soon after, the Dao Court's enforcers began crossing the bridge in waves.

Trying to stay inconspicuous, Mo Hua concealed his presence and watched them file past.

But the more he looked, the more he furrowed his brow.

There were… a lot of them?

"Didn't Uncle Gu say it'd be two hundred and eighty people? Why does it look like… over four hundred now?"

That didn't add up.

Only once all four hundred had crossed did Mo Hua finally see Gu Changhuai at the very end of the line.

But Gu Changhuai didn't look too happy.

Mo Hua approached and asked quietly:

"Uncle Gu, why so many people?"

Gu Changhuai's expression was sour.

"The Xiao family showed up too…"

Xiao family?

Mo Hua suddenly understood.

"You mean… the Smiling Tiger's family?"

Gu Changhuai paused, realizing who Mo Hua meant. He sighed.

"Don't go around giving people random nicknames…"

"It's fine, I'm not saying it to his face," Mo Hua shrugged.

Gu Changhuai could only shake his head—he really couldn't do anything about this kid.

Mo Hua asked again,

"Was the news… leaked?"

Gu Changhuai's eyes narrowed slightly but didn't answer.

Mo Hua arched a delicate brow and pressed further:

"Then the Xiao family—what are they doing here?"

"Sabotage? Feeding intel? Or just trying to stir the pot?"

Gu Changhuai shot him a sharp glance.

"Don't talk nonsense without evidence."

Then he sighed quietly.

"They're probably here to snatch credit. Take a piece of the pie…"

"Snatch credit?"

"This place is a Demon Abyss stronghold, full of demonic cultivators, and we've got Fire Buddha involved in a massacre case…" Gu Changhuai said.

"Any one of those would be a major accomplishment."

"Now all those merits are sitting on one big platter. The Xiao family's hoping to boost their influence in the Dao Court and promote their disciples—of course they're going to drool over it."

"Ahh…" Mo Hua nodded in realization.

No wonder people so often referred to the Dao Court's cultivators as "dogs and hounds."

After all, dogs only put in effort when there's meat to chew on.

And now that the Xiao family smelled the "oil and water," they were obviously charging in full force to claim their share.

Gu Changhuai gave Mo Hua a side glance and muttered:

"You're badmouthing the Dao Court in your head again, aren't you?"

Mo Hua put on a serious face:

"Uncle Gu, I'm practically half a Dao Court man myself now—how could I badmouth my own institution?"

Gu Changhuai gave a nod of satisfaction.

"Though I'm technically unofficial… kind of half-in, half-out. My identity's more… 'flexible.'"

Mo Hua added silently in his mind.

Then he asked,

"By the way, did Smili—er, Commissioner Xiao show up?"

He'd watched all the cultivators pass by earlier—like reviewing a military parade—and hadn't spotted the "Smiling Tiger," or even a single Golden Core stage cultivator.

"No," Gu Changhuai replied.

"Then who's leading the Xiao family's group?"

Gu Changhuai pointed toward the team of enforcers, at a young man who was strikingly handsome and well-dressed:

"That's Xiao Tianquan. Core descendant of the Xiao family. Late Foundation Establishment. Just graduated from his sect and tested into the Dao Court as an enforcer."

"He's one of their key disciples. They want to hand him some achievements to grease the way for promotion."

"Oh…"

Mo Hua studied Xiao Tianquan. His chin was held high, full of pride and youthful ambition—a classic child of fortune who looked like he'd never suffered in his life.

Noble family background. Top-tier sect education. Straight into the Dao Court, fast-track promotions… eventually rising to the central Dao Court's upper echelons—wealth, power, glory.

That was the standard "heaven's favored" playbook.

He stood so high up, it felt like he and Mo Hua were two completely different species.

But that name though…

"Xiao Tianquan…"

Mo Hua fell into thought—then suddenly his eyes lit up:

"Xiao Tianquan… Xiao Tianquǎn… Hound of Heaven?!"

[Note: "哮天犬" (Xiào Tiān Quǎn) is a mythical heavenly hound in Chinese lore.]

Gu Changhuai nearly had an aneurysm. He took a deep breath and once again stressed:

"Please—for the love of the heavens—stop giving people nicknames!"

"Okay okay," Mo Hua said with a perfunctory nod.

But seeing how the Xiao family was willing to use a case as serious as Fire Buddha and the demonic massacre just to lay the groundwork for their own inner disciple's promotion…

Mo Hua had nothing more to say.

He was still focused on Fire Buddha.

There was something that had been bugging him.

Mo Hua snuck a glance at Gu Changhuai, hesitated, then asked quietly:

"Uncle Gu… you and Fire Buddha—are you enemies?"

Gu Changhuai's expression shifted.

"How did you know?"

"I guessed," Mo Hua said.

He'd noticed that whenever Uncle Gu brought up Fire Buddha, his whole demeanor changed—tensing up, eyes flashing with killing intent.

Mo Hua figured: they had to have some serious history.

Gu Changhuai's tone turned cold.

"It's not complicated…"

"Back in the day, I almost killed that damn beast…"

"Unfortunately, I was only at Foundation Establishment then. A bit too weak. I managed to crush part of his heart meridian, but he escaped…"

"I killed several of his brothers in that fight."

"And he…"

Gu Changhuai paused. His handsome face twisted with cold fury as he gritted out:

"He killed several of my fellow disciples… comrades who graduated with me…"

Mo Hua's heart clenched. He looked at Gu Changhuai with sympathy and said solemnly:

"You watched your sworn brothers die before your eyes… helpless to stop it. So you harbored hatred, your heart grew cold, distant… afraid that getting close to people would only bring more pain…"

He was already lost in his own dramatic internal narration.

Gu Changhuai's face darkened.

"What nonsense are you babbling?!"

"I've always been like this!"

"Whether I'm aloof or not has nothing to do with anyone! Why should I care about those useless people? Why should I be polite to spineless, self-serving fools?"

"Ah…"

Mo Hua blinked.

So he was… just born cranky?

Human nature is way more complicated than expected.

Gu Changhuai sighed.

"As for those comrades who died at Fire Buddha's hands… I wasn't even that close to them. But they were innocent. They died horribly at the hands of those demons. I couldn't stand it."

"Sometimes I still dream about it…"

"I hate my own weakness."

"That I couldn't wipe them all out…"

"And that Fire Buddha beast—escaped from me, still running rampant, still spreading evil…"

"As long as he lives—I will never forget."

Mo Hua looked at Gu Changhuai with newfound respect.

This cold, sharp-tongued "handsome villain uncle" type, with a reputation for being antisocial…

was actually a man of deep principle and burning hatred for evil.

Truly—don't judge a scroll by its binding.

Mo Hua sighed:

"Uncle Gu, why didn't you tell me sooner?"

He never would've guessed there was such a life-and-death feud between them.

Gu Changhuai gave him a blank stare and said flatly:

"What would I be telling a brat like you for? If you hadn't asked, I wouldn't have said anything."

Mo Hua blinked. Thought for a moment. Then nodded:

"That's true…"

After all, adults—especially those over a hundred years old—big-shot cultivators like him were bound to have a pile of ancient, painful memories they didn't like to speak about.

Not everyone was like Mo Hua—open and honest with others.

He thought this to himself.

Moments later, the four hundred-plus enforcers finished forming ranks, surrounding the Demon Abyss' gate layer by layer.

Just as Gu Changhuai stood up to speak—

The Xiao family's young "genius" Xiao Tianquan confidently strode forward and offered:

"Chief Gu, allow my Xiao family to take the lead in breaching the gate!"

Gu Changhuai looked at him and replied flatly:

"Enforcer Xiao, once you're in the Dao Court, forget about family this and family that. The Dao Court doesn't belong to the Xiao family. No matter your background, you're a member of the Dao Court first and foremost."

Xiao Tianquan's face paled. That slap in the face stung. A flicker of resentment flashed in his eyes.

Gu Changhuai noticed clearly and shook his head slightly.

Truly, comparison brings pain…

Mo Hua might be full of cunning little schemes, but at least he wasn't nearly as annoying.

These privileged brats from noble families were different—hypocritical on the surface, but quick to bare their grudges at the slightest slight. It was just… distasteful.

Gu Changhuai sneered inwardly, but after a moment of thought, he nodded:

"Still, you stepping forward is commendable. Go ahead. The gate is yours to breach."

Xiao Tianquan suppressed his resentment and respectfully replied:

"Thank you, Chief Gu."

He then took command, ordering the Xiao family enforcers to take point, with the Gu family and other enforcers assisting. They began setting up formations and using brute force to break the gate to the Demon Abyss.

Gu Changhuai stood by with folded arms.

Mo Hua stood next to him.

This time, Mo Hua didn't bother hiding himself.

Since they were attacking the Demon Palace and going after Fire Buddha, he'd have to show himself eventually. So long as he stayed low-key and acted like a nobody, no one would pay him much mind.

And even if someone did—well, he was glued to the "do-not-approach" aura of Uncle Gu. Who would dare ask questions?

Even Xiao Tianquan glanced at him a few times.

But once he sensed Mo Hua's mid-to-low grade spiritual root, his gaze automatically skipped past him.

The gate breach went smoothly.

Because earlier, Mo Hua had already tampered with the formation from inside.

The Xiao family had clearly gone all-out—bringing in their own formation masters to inscribe arrays outside the Demon Palace gates, and using numerous rare spirit tools and talismans to forcefully blast the doors open.

Mo Hua, of course, knew very well:

The formation masters' work was useless.

What actually worked were the spirit tools and talismans.

But the Xiao clan didn't know that. When the demonic stone gate—shaped like a giant evil eye—was blasted open, leaving a massive crack and shattered fang-like stones around it, with even strange blood oozing out…

They all started praising in unison:

"Enforcer Xiao is brilliant!"

"Masterful leadership!"

Even enforcers from lesser backgrounds, without strong backing, felt forced to chime in:

"So talented at such a young age…"

"Destined for greatness!"

Xiao Tianquan wore a calm expression, as if such flattery was routine.

But not long after, a shout came from the front:

"The blood on the gate… it's toxic!"

Xiao Tianquan immediately jumped back. Several enforcers who had been close were already infected—qi and blood turned foul, faces twisting in pain.

Chaos broke out.

It took a while to restore order.

The dozen or so poisoned enforcers were given pills and sent to rest nearby.

The pills came from the Xiao family. Publicly, they claimed everyone was fine—to prevent any blemishes from appearing on "Enforcer Xiao's" glorious record.

Gu Changhuai was the one who explained this.

Mo Hua was dumbfounded.

These noble families… truly know how to play the game.

Once the gate was breached, they entered the outer hall.

Contrary to expectations, there was no resistance. The outer hall was eerily empty—not a single demonic cultivator in sight.

The same was true of the middle hall.

But the inner hall doors were tightly shut.

As expected, the enemy was likely holed up in the inner hall, up to something behind those sealed doors.

Xiao Tianquan sneered:

"So they're barricading themselves in? Waiting for us to catch them like fish in a barrel? Pathetic!"

He looked like he wanted to say more, but glanced warily at Gu Changhuai.

Gu showed no emotion, just gave a slight nod.

It meant: go ahead, do your thing.

Xiao Tianquan felt reassured.

Still, he was puzzled:

"This Chief Gu… aside from being a little grumpy and a bit dense, he's not that hard to deal with. Why do all my uncles and elders keep warning me to stay cautious around him?"

The Xiao family enforcers began working to breach the inner hall.

Same approach as before.

Mo Hua, again, stood on the sidelines. Not lifting a finger.

This kind of task wasn't his to jump into.

Besides, he had no desire to show off his formation skills in front of all these Dao Court cultivators.

Especially not in front of this "Hound of Heaven"—who clearly held grudges.

If Mo Hua stole his thunder and took credit, Xiao Tianquan would definitely hate him for it.

All pain, no gain.

That said… the Xiao family's formation skills were bad.

They relied on spirit tools and talismans to brute-force everything. Progress was slow.

Mo Hua could only wait patiently.

Three and a half days had passed. They had about three and a half days left.

Time was still barely on their side.

The inner hall, too, was locked by a formation.

To breach it, they either had to dismantle the formation—or break the gate with force.

Mo Hua took a closer look.

The formation was complex and involved advanced second-grade arrays… ones he didn't know how to break.

So the only option was brute force.

The Xiao family had no shortage of manpower, spirit stones, tools, or talismans.

They went with a hybrid approach—formation breaking as backup, brute force as the main strategy.

Mo Hua watched as five-colored light flashed nonstop.

Rare second-grade talismans burned away like paper.

Enforcers took turns unleashing spells, hammering at the gate with relentless effort.

For the first time, Mo Hua saw what "formation-blind" cultivators did when they couldn't understand arrays…

It lasted most of the day, until finally—

BOOM!

The inner hall gate collapsed.

"They actually broke through…"

Mo Hua was surprised at first.

Then, looking at the formation around the broken doorway, he suddenly understood.

This demonic temple… wasn't finished.

Some of the formations near the gate were still thin or unreinforced.

Xiao Tianquan's team had struck the weak spot by accident. Pure dumb luck disrupted part of the array, causing the whole thing to unravel.

That's the only reason they managed to open it in under a day.

Xiao Tianquan had no clue.

He really believed it was all due to the Xiao family's strength.

"A mere demon temple? Pathetic!"

Cue another wave of synchronized flattery from the enforcers:

"Enforcer Xiao, so wise!"

Mo Hua ignored them.

Instead, he eagerly peered into the inner hall.

And froze.

Inside… were countless stone walls, densely packed, standing upright like forest trees.

They connected and interlocked—forming a massive…

Maze.

A maze?

Mo Hua frowned. He released his divine sense, carefully scanning.

Suddenly, he realized:

These walls weren't just architecture—they were formation mediums. The maze was overlaid with an array formation.

"This formation…"

It felt bizarre. Yet… vaguely familiar.

He kept watching, pupils dilating—heart pounding.

Wait…

This was…

The Heaven-Obscuring Formation?!

(End of Chapter)