Immortality Through Array Formations Chapter 1973 - 954: Revealed (2)

"You... it was you all along..."

Gritting his teeth so fiercely they nearly cracked, the Rat glared with pure hatred.

He realized now that he had been played like a fool by this brat.

Yet, even as realization dawned, an overwhelming craving drowned out his logic, turning the Rat’s eyes a vivid, bloody crimson.

A thick, malevolent aura began to crawl across his features.

"This is bad!"

Noticing that his calming talisman was suddenly spiderwebbed with cracks, Mr. Hui barked an order: "Stone, get the chains, now!"

Stone produced the metal restraints, attempting to bind the Rat, whose gaze had gone feral and bloodshot in his madness.

Suddenly, the Rat let out a primal roar as dark, corrupted blood surged through his veins. His muscles expanded with unnatural strength, snapping Stone’s chains effortlessly before he lunged straight toward Mo Hua.

Before he could reach the boy, Mr. Hui’s blade flashed out, slashing across the Rat’s leg.

The Rat collapsed in a heap but immediately scrambled to rise again.

Mr. Hui didn't give him the chance, stepping in to pin him to the ground using his life shield.

Seizing the opening, Stone rushed forward and successfully bound the Rat with heavy chains.

Like a mindless zombie, the Rat thrashed and howled, unable to break the new restraints.

Mr. Hui let out a heavy sigh. "The 'Corpse Transformation' has already started. There is no saving him now."

"Does that mean..." Stone’s brow furrowed in concern.

With a trace of reluctance, Mr. Hui spoke the grim truth:

"Tradition dictates that once a tomb robber is tainted by corpse poison and begins the 'Corpse Transformation,' they must be put down to prevent a catastrophe."

Stone was well aware of the protocol.

Still, the bond of their shared history made him hesitate to see the Rat executed.

"Mr. Hui, could we perhaps..." Stone suggested tentatively, "keep the Rat tied up and locked away for a while to see if he changes?"

"If his condition stabilizes, we could bring him out and pay a Pill Master to purge the evil and detoxify him. He might regain his mind. Keeping him alive is better than this, even if his Cultivation is completely destroyed."

Mr. Hui fell silent, weighing the suggestion.

He had no personal affection for the Rat.

Furthermore, when the flesh corpse likeness had attacked near the yellow bronze coffin, everyone else had risked their lives to help, while the Rat had selfishly watched from the sidelines.

Even so, he hesitated to be the one to deal the killing blow.

They had been partners for years; some fragment of camaraderie still lingered.

Just as Mr. Hui was about to agree, Mo Hua’s voice drifted into his ear, whispering softly, "The treasure is clearly on him, so why try to kill me to keep me quiet?"

The words were faint, carrying an eerie, subtle weight.

The item... is on his person.

Mr. Hui’s mind momentarily clouded as a hidden, dark greed began to stir from the depths of his soul.

After a brief internal struggle, Mr. Hui shook his head firmly. "In our line of work, we follow the rules. If we let him live and the transformation completes, it will cause a disaster."

"Life and death are determined by fate, while wealth is granted by the heavens."

"These are the teachings of our ancestors. Since we chose this path, we must be prepared for its ends."

Meanwhile, the Rat’s condition took a turn for the worse. His skin began to rot and ooze pus, while his eyes rolled back until only the whites remained, giving him a monstrous appearance.

Stone found himself unable to argue further.

"Rat, don't hold this against me," Mr. Hui sighed.

He drew a long blade, coated it in fresh chicken blood, and activated it with a yellow talisman. Raising the weapon high, he decapitated the Rat with a single, powerful strike.

The Rat’s severed head landed with eyes wide and staring, as if unable to accept his fate.

Even without a head, the body continued to twitch like a restless corpse.

To finish the job, Mr. Hui tossed out several Fire Talismans, incinerating the remains.

Amidst the chaos, he discreetly slipped the Rat’s storage pouch into his own sleeve.

The third-grade fierce fire quickly reduced the body to a pile of black charcoal.

And so, the Rat’s life came to an end.

Staring at the charred remains, Mr. Hui poured a small cup of wine as an offering and murmured, "Do not blame your brother for this."

Stone looked at the blackened corpse and then at Mr. Hui, his expression filled with a newfound sense of estrangement.

Mo Hua observed the Rat’s end and then shifted his gaze to Mr. Hui, lost in his own reflections.

At this stage, he didn't have a clear grasp on how to plant an evil spirit.

However, he was beginning to understand how to nurture and trigger the darkness within a person's heart.

Human malice almost always grows from the seeds of personal desire.

It is said that one who has no desires is as unshakable as a mountain.

On the contrary, once greed takes root, people become fragile, senseless, and drive themselves toward ruin.

In truth, there are no truly "clever" people in this world.

When faced with their deepest desires, everyone becomes a fool.

"I must learn to see through their desires and use those cravings to lead them to their own destruction..."

By identifying what others want, one can exert "control" over them.

In a way, this felt similar to the "Planting a Devil in the Taoist Heart" technique his Uncle had mentioned.

Mo Hua still lacked the specific technical knowledge of the spells involved.

Furthermore, his current attempts at manipulating hearts were quite unrefined and lacked true finesse.

Next time, his approach would need to be more subtle and meticulously orchestrated...

Mo Hua silently refined his plans.

For a long moment, the survivors stood in silence, each occupied by their own private thoughts.

...

Though the Rat was dead and the immediate conflict resolved, the expedition was far from over.

Men perish for gold just as birds die for grain.

They couldn't afford to leave this place without something to show for their efforts.

After a period of silence, Mr. Hui addressed the four cultivators in black robes:

"Friends, per our original contract, any treasures found here are to be split fifty-fifty. If the tomb is empty, our commission is to be doubled."

With Mr. Pi and the Rat both gone, the payout would be significant.

Even split between Mr. Hui and the remaining survivor, the doubled commission was a fortune.

That was, assuming the black-robed men were honorable enough to pay.

Picking up on Mr. Hui’s underlying concern, the Elder in black nodded. "You have nothing to fear, Mr. Hui. We will honor every word of our agreement."

The Elder’s voice was calm and firm, allowing Mr. Hui to relax slightly as he replied: