Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 582: The Conspiracy

Mo Hua looked at the tiny child—clearly younger than himself—and sighed, then his expression darkened with anger.

They're even kidnapping kids this young…

That gang led by Boss Jiang really deserved to die a thousand times over.

Honestly, he should've fed them a few more rounds of Fireball Technique…

The restaurant was in ruins, scorch marks everywhere.

The child looked around, growing even more frightened. His little face went pale, eyes brimming with tears, though he stubbornly refused to cry.

Mo Hua asked gently,

"Are you alright?"

The child sneaked a glance at him, then slowly nodded.

"What's your name?" Mo Hua asked.

The child opened his mouth as if to answer, then hesitated and shook his head.

Mo Hua paused, then understood.

He's afraid of revealing his surname…

Once known, it could expose his identity and be used against his parents for ransom.

For someone so young to already have this kind of wariness—well, that wasn't a bad thing. Mo Hua didn't push him.

"Then what should I call you?"

The child looked at Mo Hua—his clear eyes, his kind expression. He seemed older, but not by much. Definitely a lot nicer than those scary, evil men…

After a pause, the boy said shyly,

"My parents call me… Yu'er."

"Yu'er?"

Jade-like and gentle…

Clearly a name chosen with hope—that their child would grow up warm and elegant like fine jade.

"Where are your parents?" Mo Hua asked.

Yu'er shook his head, eyes dim.

Naturally—kidnapped children wouldn't know where their parents were.

His pale face showed obvious fear and distress. He'd been living in fear these past days.

Mo Hua felt a bit sorry for him. After thinking it over, he said,

"Then let me help you find them."

Yu'er's dim eyes suddenly lit up, a fragile hope flickering in them. He stared at Mo Hua, his voice trembling:

"Really…?"

It seemed he was afraid to believe it. His gaze held that delicate yearning that children only show after being hurt by the world too soon.

Probably doesn't trust people anymore after all that…

Mo Hua smiled softly.

"If you disappear, your parents will definitely be heartbroken…"

Yu'er's tears fell like pearls.

"I… I miss my mom…"

"Come on," Mo Hua said.

"Mm." Yu'er wiped his eyes and nodded.

Mo Hua gently lifted him from the box.

Yu'er scanned the surroundings, then noticed the scattered corpses of cultivators. His little face turned even paler.

"These bad people… are they…"

Mo Hua replied gravely,

"I don't know who killed them."

Yu'er blinked, stunned.

After a moment's thought, Mo Hua put on his serious nonsense face and launched into his tall tale:

"I was just passing through on my way to study in Qian Prefecture. I stopped to get a bite to eat… but when I walked in, this was the scene."

"No idea who killed them—clean and neat job."

"Then I noticed something strange about a box, opened it up… and found you."

Mo Hua painted the whole thing like he was just an innocent passerby. A random good-hearted young man who happened to be there.

Yu'er gave him a suspicious squint.

"Really?"

Mo Hua nodded earnestly.

Yu'er looked from Mo Hua to the pile of corpses. The math wasn't mathing.

This kid's pretty sharp…

Mo Hua quickly changed the subject.

"Let's hurry. Your parents must be worried sick."

That did the trick—Yu'er's attention snapped back.

"Mm! Mm!" He nodded like a drum.

Mo Hua pulled out a cloak from his storage pouch and draped it over Yu'er.

It was a concealment cloak, one he used back in Nanyue City while tailing people with his senior brother and sister. It had a simple concealment array drawn by Mo Hua himself.

Only first-grade, but with the sky dimming, it was enough to hide them for now.

The rest of the traffickers were likely still on their way. Better safe than sorry.

"What's this…?" Yu'er asked, confused under the cloak.

"Don't ask. Just wear it properly."

"Okay."

Yu'er obediently wrapped himself in the oversized cloak, fumbling a little.

Then, looking around at the carnage again, his expression grew sorrowful.

Mo Hua asked,

"What's wrong?"

Yu'er glanced at the scattered corpses and whispered:

"These people… they have parents too, right? Now they're dead… will their parents never see them again…?"

"Will they… be really sad too…?"

Mo Hua was surprised.

This kid… has such a kind heart…

Even though these people tried to sell him, he still felt sorry for them.

Mo Hua thought for a moment.

Not knowing the wickedness of people, being too kind, isn't always a good thing—but he's only four or five. It's okay to be kind at that age.

This world can tolerate all sorts of villains, all sorts of selfish people… so why can't it make room for one kind-hearted child?

So Mo Hua "kindly" replied,

"Don't worry. These people don't have parents."

Yu'er was stunned. Then shocked.

"People can… not have parents?"

Mo Hua nodded.

"Most people do. But some… don't."

Yu'er's understanding of the world was clearly shaken. He didn't know how to react for a moment. But when he looked back at the good-hearted big brother who saved him, he felt—

Surely he wouldn't lie to me… right?

Yu'er's heart felt a little better.

If they didn't have parents, then… no one would be sad about their deaths.

That's a good thing…

He nodded seriously and whispered to himself:

"It's really great that those bad people didn't have parents!"

After comforting Yu'er, Mo Hua surveyed the area again.

He erased all the traces of array patterns he had deduced, listed, or drawn earlier during the lock-breaking process.

Then he turned to the box…

After some thought, he dismantled it into wooden planks and stored them in his storage pouch.

The planks still held remnants of unknown formations. Worth studying later.

Then he pointed his finger and cast Fireball Technique, reducing the remaining two storage boxes to ash—incinerating all the debris into indistinct blackened charcoal.

He moved fast and clean—everything was done in about ten breaths.

Yu'er blinked and asked curiously:

"Big brother… why are you so good at this…?"

Mo Hua paused, then replied with a totally straight face:

"I learned it from a kind-hearted uncle. It's travel experience."

"So remember, little one—study hard. Otherwise, once you're out in the world of cultivation, you'll suffer big losses!"

Yu'er didn't really get it, but he nodded seriously anyway.

Everything was cleaned up. No traces remained.

Time to disappear.

Mo Hua took Yu'er's hand, cloaked them in concealment, and slipped out of the ruined eatery.

A teenaged cultivator, and an even smaller one—hand in hand—headed toward Qingzhou City in the distance…

The sky was dark. Their figures hidden.

No one saw them leave.

...

Shortly after Mo Hua left—about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea—four or five black-robed cultivators arrived at the ruined eatery.

Their faces were obscured by black cloth, leaving only cold, hawk-like eyes visible—eyes that now filled with shock and disbelief at the scene before them.

"Where are they?"

"All dead?!"

They all sucked in a sharp breath.

"Who did this?"

"No idea…"

"And the cargo?"

The black-robed cultivators unleashed their spiritual sense, scanning the area. Moments later, in a corner of the restaurant, they found fragments of destroyed storage boxes.

"Did… they get rid of the goods too?"

The group looked stunned.

"No… wait," one frowned. "There's no blood or flesh left behind."

"And those boxes… they're not right…"

"Where's his box—the one the Mister gave?"

"Someone dismantled it? Or destroyed it?"

"That box had the Mister's formation on it—who could possibly break it? If the box is destroyed, the person inside should be dead…"

"Not necessarily. Qian Prefecture has many capable people. Nothing's impossible…"

The group fell into heated discussion.

Then someone turned and asked,

"Big Brother, what now?"

The one called "Big Brother" was also dressed in black, nothing special in appearance—except for his sharp, piercing gaze, like a hawk or wolf surveying prey.

He scanned the wreckage, then rasped:

"Looks like Boss Jiang and the others were ambushed… wiped out completely."

"And the 'goods'—box and all—were taken."

"Double-crossed?" someone asked doubtfully.

"We warned everyone beforehand—who'd dare cross us like this?" another snapped.

"People die for profit, birds die for food. This shipment was too tempting—of course someone would try."

"Even so, who has the power to pull this off?"

Big Brother's gaze darkened. He looked slowly across everyone's faces, then spoke coldly:

"The ground is still warm… charred black. That's the trace of a formation."

"Formations are powerful—but take time to set up."

"That means someone got advance intel. They laid the trap ahead of time, and used the formation's power to slaughter Boss Jiang and the rest—twelve people in total!"

"Then they snatched our 'cargo' right from under us!"

"Mister Tu's calculations shouldn't be wrong—unless…" His eyes gleamed coldly. "...there's a traitor among us. Someone leaked the plan!"

Those words made everyone's faces change.

"Big Brother, you know me…"

"Big Brother, I'm loyal to you unto death!"

"You saved my life—I even broke family vows for this!"

"Big Brother, I—"

Everyone rushed to declare loyalty, full of emotion and sincerity.

Big Brother frowned slightly, withdrew his gaze, and barked:

"We'll deal with that later. First priority—retrieve the goods."

"The formation's residual warmth, the lingering sword qi—it hasn't dissipated completely. That means the battle ended recently. They might still be close…"

He paused, then asked:

"Did any of you see anyone suspicious? A child, maybe?"

They looked at each other blankly.

To avoid attention, they had disguised themselves and approached from different directions, planning to meet up near the site.

In their haste, no one had paid attention to suspicious figures…

Big Brother cursed under his breath:

"Useless trash!"

His eyes, cold as blades, scanned the scene again, searing every detail into memory. His clenched jaw nearly cracked from the force.

So close!!

Just a bit more, and that special-bloodline young noble would've been ours!

Once delivered to Mister Tu and used as a blood sacrifice for the Divine Lord, it would've secured him immense merit. Rebirth, transformation—nothing would be impossible then!

A tiger's den prize. A secret gambit perfectly laid.

Mister Tu had accounted for everything.

So had he.

And now, it had all been ruined—at the last moment.

His eyes reddened with fury. Crimson veins spread like cracks through his whites, twisted and terrifying. His voice turned raspier, almost inhuman:

"Whoever ruined this for me—I'll tear your flesh and drink your blood alive…"

"I'll make you die in agony. I'll devour your family, your friends—every last one!"

His bloodlust filled the air. The others lowered their heads, pale and trembling.

The very atmosphere seemed soaked in murderous intent, heavy with the stench of blood.

Big Brother's face contorted. Hands trembling, he pulled out a wine gourd, took a fierce swig, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth—and finally seemed to calm down.

"Chase them!"

He issued the order.

The others, clearly relieved, bowed and answered in unison:

"Yes!"

They turned to pursue.

But the first one to reach the door was suddenly struck by a howling gust of wind—blades hidden in the breeze shredded him on the spot. Blood sprayed in all directions.

A refined young man appeared in the restaurant, paper fan in hand, face cold as frost.

"Where is the child?"

His gaze was like a blade of ice.

Big Brother looked at him and sneered softly:

"Young Master Gu…"

At the same time, dozens of cultivators in uniform daoist robes surrounded the ruins, sealing off the area completely.

Big Brother glanced around, scoffing:

"Hmph… lapdogs of the Dao Court…"

Young Master Gu stared at him, sniffed the air, and spoke with an icy tone:

"You demonic beast in human skin… whose flesh are you wearing?"

Big Brother grinned:

"Everyone wears false skins in this world, hides dark thoughts behind kind smiles. How am I different? My skin is just a little more false—my evil a little more honest."

Young Master Gu didn't bother to argue.

"Where's the child?"

Big Brother gestured to the wreckage.

"As you can see, I arrived to find this mess. Whoever you're looking for—someone else took them."

"Or maybe…" His smile turned eerie. "They're already dead…"

Young Master Gu's expression turned thunderous.

"Fine. Then you can die and accompany that child in the afterlife!"

Big Brother sneered:

"You think the Gu Clan, and a bunch of Dao Court mutts, can stop me?"

Words were useless now—battle erupted instantly.

Young Master Gu wielded his fan, each graceful flick unleashing blades of wind, thin and deadly.

Big Brother, seemingly unwilling to reveal his true strength, relied solely on his powerful body and the foul, bloody aura around him to fight—facing not just Young Master Gu, but the full force of the Dao Court cultivators.

Their battle tore through the ruins—but carefully avoided the center of the restaurant, as if both sides were trying not to disturb the traces left behind.

It was a vicious fight—neither side holding back.

But since this was only a second-grade prefecture, both Young Master Gu and the black-robed leader were constrained—they couldn't go all-out. A true fight to the death wasn't feasible here.

The fierce clash lasted for half an hour.

In the end, the black-robed leader was seriously wounded and fled.

Young Master Gu's aura was weak, clearly not unscathed either.

All the other black-robed cultivators were dead.

Young Master Gu ordered coldly:

"Record their faces. I'll settle the score later."

One of the Dao Court officers went to check and quickly returned to report:

"Young Master… we can't make them out."

Young Master Gu walked forward to see for himself—and realized that each of the black-robed cultivators had been poisoned with demonic toxins. After death, their flesh was corroded by demonic qi, their meridians and spiritual roots ruined, leaving only stinking, blackened lumps of foul meat.

No identities could be discerned at all.

Young Master Gu cursed:

"A bunch of gutless cowards! Filthy trash!"

"You have the guts to fall to demonic cultivation, but not the guts to show your faces?!"

Now, their only option was to investigate these as "missing cultivators" through the various sects and families.

But that was a dead end.

Cultivators go missing for many reasons:

Some are simply delayed while out on missions.

Some are secretly assassinated by rivals.

Some vanish exploring secret realms.

Others rebel against family control and run away.

The causes were too complex.

No one would conclude "demonic corruption" just because someone disappeared.

And neither sects nor clans would admit their disciples had fallen—or allow external investigations. Their reputations and cultivation interests were at stake.

The more Young Master Gu thought about it, the angrier he became. With a wave of his hand, he crushed one of the corpses into pulp.

But anger was useless. What mattered most now was finding the young master.

He searched the scene again, and the results were largely the same as the black-robed group's earlier assessment.

Boss Jiang and the others had been killed—or heavily injured—by a second-grade Earthfire Array.

It was obviously a premeditated, deliberately designed, well-prepared ambush.

There was no way this was an impromptu attack. No one sets up an array on the fly and kills off an entire ring of traffickers in passing.

And if a cultivator really was that powerful, they wouldn't need such a convoluted method—they could just flick a finger and wipe them all out.

Also—most of the traffickers died to a basic second-grade Fireball Technique.

That could only mean one thing: the killer was concealing their true strength and cultivation method. That's why they used a common, throwaway spell like Fireball.

But no real cultivator would spend time seriously cultivating that sort of low-level spell.

Then…

The worst part was—the young master had vanished.

And from the look of things, those black-robed cultivators hadn't lied.

Someone had gotten to the scene before them.

Young Master Gu furrowed his brow.

"Was it an internal betrayal?"

"Or someone with a different motive altogether…?"

"That child… is the product of a political union between two great noble clans. What kind of power—what kind of cultivator—would dare set their sights on him?"

"And who… actually dared to intercept and kidnap the young master?"

"Are they not afraid of the karmic backlash? Of disturbing the Heavenly Mandate?"

Because the most difficult thing here… was how the entire incident had been shielded from fate, completely veiled from karmic threads. Even fate-divining arts couldn't trace it.

Who had that ability?

Young Master Gu's thoughts were in complete disarray.

After a while, he remembered the heartbroken face of his cousin—her anguish after her son vanished—and his heart clenched with pain.

His eyes grew colder. Ignoring his own injuries, he ordered:

"Those heavily injured, rest. Lightly injured, follow me. We keep chasing."

"The spiritual power here hasn't fully dissipated. We might still catch up."

A Dao Court officer hesitated.

"Young Master… should we really keep going?"

They had already been chasing for days—no food, no rest, exhausted beyond measure. After the battle just now, even those who usually just muddled through the job were about to collapse.

They worked for the Dao Court. Even if the Gu Clan was powerful, they couldn't be ordered around like this.

Young Master Gu's eyes sharpened. He sneered coldly:

"Don't say I didn't warn you. If anything happens to that young master, I'll personally strip the skins off you and every one of your brothers!"

The officer's heart skipped a beat.

Only now did he realize—the rumors were all wrong.

The missing child wasn't Gu Clan's young master.

Which meant…

He felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over his head. A chill ran through his spine.

"Rest assured, Young Master! We will give it our all and find the young master!"

He then turned and barked at the others:

"Take your pills! Heal up fast! We're moving the moment you're fit to stand!"

Though some were still frustrated or confused, they could tell this matter was serious—and none dared delay. They hurried to recover.

Meanwhile, Young Master Gu looked into the distance, a dark shadow cloaking his expression.

"Yu'er, that child… whose hands have you fallen into?"

Author's Note: I'll try to push out one or two bonus chapters before the end of the month.

Also working on getting little Mo Hua into his sect soon.

Though… trying doesn't always mean success. So if I fail, just pretend I didn't say anything~

(End of Chapter)