Immortality Through Array Formations Chapter 1961 - 950: Tomb Exploration (Part 2)

Mo Hua possessed a powerful Divine Sense and a swift mind. As he scanned through the various jade slips and books, he rapidly grasped the essential information.

This involved the technique of "false formations" commonly utilized within burial mounds.

There were five identical forks in the path. The internal formations appeared indistinguishable, yet four were merely "false formations" that functioned without substance; only a single one was genuine.

This technique represents one of the hidden complexities of the Earth Formation.

With a nod, Mo Hua began applying the insights left by Mr. Pi, utilizing the aura deductions of the Earth Formation to tell the real and fake paths apart.

It had to be said that Mr. Pi’s passing was quite timely.

Had he survived, Mo Hua would never have acquired these formation manuals and jade slips, nor would he have unraveled these intricate secrets.

Now that the mechanics were understood, the remaining work was straightforward.

Relying on his immense Divine Thought and aided by precise calculations, Mo Hua performed a quick deduction to verify the authenticity of the Earth Formation.

Pointing toward the path on the far right, Mo Hua directed: "This way."

"Is your calculation finished?"

"Yes."

"Are you certain?" Although Mr. Hui held Mo Hua’s Cultivation talent in high regard—even secretly plotting to seize it for himself—

talent remained nothing more than potential.

Seeing Mo Hua attempt to "learn on the fly," seemingly mixing luck with guesswork, Mr. Hui felt a wave of doubt.

"This is the correct path," Mo Hua stated with a casual air.

Mr. Hui’s brow furrowed.

The black-robed gentleman scrutinized Mo Hua with a complicated look before speaking slowly:

"This young brother hasn't faltered once in locating or breaking the formations we've encountered so far. His logic should be sound; let us proceed."

The black-robed gentleman's support caught Mo Hua slightly off guard.

As the man looked his way, a faint, subtle grin touched the corner of his lips.

Mo Hua felt a momentary jolt of unease, sensing that something was not quite right.

After a brief hesitation, Mr. Hui nodded, deciding he had no choice but to trust Mo Hua’s findings.

Mo Hua was a Formation Master, after all; these were his professional calculations.

If they disregarded Mo Hua, they would be forced to rely on pure luck,

which was a far more dangerous prospect.

"Very well," Mr. Hui conceded.

The party then proceeded down the tunnel Mo Hua had indicated.

Upon entering the fork, the mood shifted abruptly. The stone walls grew denser, carved with various grim Penalty Prison Maps that cast a heavy, haunting shadow over the group.

Everyone sharpened their guard.

Yet, to their surprise, the passage was devoid of any hidden mechanisms or traps, proving to be strangely safe as they advanced.

They walked until they hit a solid, barren stone wall that offered no further passage.

Stepping forward, Mr. Hui tapped on the stone surface before striking it with a heavy blow.

A formation flared briefly before shattering under the impact.

Mr. Hui’s fist pierced through the wall, but he found nothing behind it except the endless, solid mass of the mountain.

"It’s a dead-end," Mr. Hui announced, turning back toward the others.

All eyes immediately fell upon Mo Hua.

Rubbing his chin, Mo Hua whispered to himself: "How can it be a dead-end... did my deduction fail?"

"What is our next move?"

"Let me re-examine the area..."

Mo Hua inspected the surroundings once more. The formation itself wasn't the issue, but behind it lay nothing but solid rock—a true dead-end.

"Even a master can make a mistake," Mo Hua remarked calmly, appearing unbothered by the error.

Mr. Hui and the rest had little room to complain.

The true "expert," Mr. Pi, was already in his grave.

Mo Hua had been thrust into this role and had performed admirably to get them this far.

"Let’s double back," Mr. Hui commanded.

They spent the necessary time trekking back to the original fork in the path.

"Which direction now?"

Mo Hua scrutinized Mr. Pi’s notes on the tomb once more, performing the deduction again only to reach the same conclusion. He still believed his initial calculation was correct.

Seeing Mo Hua stall, Mr. Hui suspected the boy’s formation skills had reached their limit and began to lose his patience.

"Idling here won't help. We'll try the center path."

"If that fails, we can return and pick another. There are only five paths; we can test them one by one if necessary."

Mr. Hui added, "Solitary Mountain City is only a third-grade domain. With seven Golden Core cultivators in our ranks, we can withstand most threats."

Mo Hua remained silent.

He would have been entirely confident if they were dealing with a Five Elements or Eight Trigrams Formation.

However, this tomb relied heavily on Earth Formations, a field he was less acquainted with. Being forced to learn and apply this knowledge simultaneously meant mistakes were possible.

Since his certainty regarding the formations had wavered, he decided to let Mr. Hui, the "seasoned" tomb raider, take the lead.

Thus, Mr. Hui moved to the front, heading down the central path.

This gave Mo Hua a moment of relaxation.

Since he was no longer leading, he didn't need to be the first one in line.

Mo Hua tucked himself into a secure position within the group, ensuring he had human "shields" on all sides to protect him from any sudden danger.

The central path appeared nearly identical to the right-hand path Mo Hua had previously selected.

But as they advanced, the shadows were suddenly torn apart by a fierce, concentrated light.

A barrage of crossbow bolts, seemingly forged from pure flame, rained down like a fiery storm directly upon the leading Mr. Hui.

The flaming projectiles moved with incredible velocity.

Unable to dodge, Mr. Hui instantly crossed his arms, manifesting an earth shield before him.

The relentless fire rain slammed into the shield, causing a violent eruption of Spiritual Power. The flames blazed brilliantly within the dark tomb, their light reaching a blinding intensity.