Immortality Through Array Formations Chapter 2032 Chapter 973: Destroying the Body and Erasing All Traces (Part 3)

The unexpected appearance of Xun Ziyou and his companions quickly caught the attention of several Shen Family cultivators.

A pair of Golden Core cultivators from the Shen Family turned their gaze toward them, pausing briefly as if they intended to ask questions.

Xun Ziyou immediately projected a heavy, oppressive aura. With a frigid expression and a tone of sharp impatience, he demanded:

"What is the situation outside?"

Stunned by his authoritative presence and calm demeanor, the two Shen Family Golden Core cultivators took note of Xun Ziyou’s soot-covered clothes and the faint singe marks from fire. They instinctively concluded he must be a high-ranking elder of their own aristocratic family—likely one tasked with "erasing corpse traces"—who had surfaced from the graveyard to inspect the perimeter.

Because the Shen Family was vast and populated by so many cultivators, even those at the Golden Core level could not recognize every member of the clan.

This was especially true regarding the direct lineage elders who held genuine power within the aristocratic family.

One of the Shen Family Golden Core cultivators cupped his hands in respect and reported: "Elder, members of various sects and other families have arrived."

The second cultivator ground his teeth, adding: "Those treacherous wolves are like swarming flies and insects; they seek to pry into the Shen Family's secrets and destroy our foundation."

Flies do not swarm an egg unless it is cracked. If your Shen Family wasn’t already a "rotten egg," why would they be stinging you...

Mo Hua thought to himself with a cold detachment.

"Preposterous," Xun Ziyou remarked with a hint of fury, dismissively waving his hand. "Return to your duties. I shall go and investigate."

"Understood." The two Shen Family Golden Core cultivators bowed and departed.

Xun Ziyou then guided Mo Hua toward the exit. After walking a short distance, they encountered a massive, dense crowd of people surrounding the mine so tightly that not even a drop of water could pass through.

The throng consisted of Shen Family members as well as representatives from various other sects and aristocratic families.

A quick survey revealed that none of the factions present were pushovers.

To surround the Shen Family in such a manner, hoping to tear away a piece of the spoils, these groups naturally possessed foundations and scales that rivaled the Shen Family itself.

At this moment, the Shen Family had activated formations to protect the mine, while the opposing forces blocked the path outside.

The two sides stood in a tense standoff, the division between the groups clearly marked.

"This is problematic..."

Xun Ziyou's brow furrowed.

Given the current state of affairs, slipping away unnoticed was impossible, particularly with a Third Grade formation obstructing their path.

Mo Hua also found the situation quite difficult.

As he frowned in contemplation, his eyes suddenly brightened upon spotting a familiar face.

Among the restless crowd in the distance stood a group of elders from the Taixu Sect.

Their leader possessed a face as refined as jade and an elegant air. Though his eyes were steady, a trace of anxiety was buried within them.

It was none other than Elder Xun Zixian.

Just as Mo Hua spotted him, Xun Zixian also froze.

He had detected a familiar presence within the chaotic mob—a gaze that carried a unique quality of divine thought that stood out from the rest.

"This sensation is..."

Xun Zixian’s eyes narrowed as he traced the source of the gaze. He soon spotted Mo Hua, whose head was just visible among the Shen Family cultivators.

Standing right beside Mo Hua was Xun Ziyou.

"Mo Hua!"

Xun Zixian’s pupils contracted sharply.

"He has been found!"

After assessing the clear divide between the factions and seeing Mo Hua’s group trapped on the Shen Family’s side, Xun Zixian thought for a moment. He then pulled out a jade talisman and hurled it directly at the Shen Family's defensive barrier.

The jade talisman erupted in a flash of light, dissolving a significant portion of the formation patterns and tearing a massive hole in the Shen Family’s defenses.

Elder Xun Zixian possessed deep heritage and incredible talent. Under the personal tutelage of Elder Master Xun, his formation skills were not only elite within the Taixu Sect but were considered top-tier throughout the entire Qian Learning State Boundary.

A Third Grade formation maintained by the Shen Family was something he could dismantle at his leisure.

This move by Xun Zixian was incredibly sudden.

Every person present was momentarily stunned.

The lead elder of the Shen Family immediately barked out: "Xun Zixian! What is the meaning of this? Does your Taixu Sect intend to become an enemy of the Shen Family?"

Without even looking up, Xun Zixian replied flatly: "My hand slipped..."

The Shen Family elder stood dazed, his chest tightening with pure rage.

Damn it, your hand slipped and you shattered my family’s formation?

Was this an open declaration of war? Were all pretenses being dropped?

However, he had no time to debate whether the "slip" was genuine. The moment the formation broke and the gap appeared, the previously hesitant crowd became unruly.

The tension in the air snapped instantly.

After a heartbeat, a large man roared:

"Our Ao family is related to the Shen Family by marriage! I have a brother-in-law in your clan, and I heard he met with an accident in this mine. As his kin, it is only right that I go inside to search for him..."

Having said that, he charged through the breach.

Others followed his lead immediately, shouting their own excuses: "I have a Daoist friend who serves as a Shen Family elder! I heard he was injured, so I’m going in to check..."

"I have a nephew in the Shen Family..."

"My grandfather-in-law is a Shen..."

"I’m having an affair with one of them..."

Fabricating whatever connections they could, the crowd surged forward.

There was no fear of punishment when everyone was involved. As long as the chaos was grand enough and the participants numerous, they didn't fear the Shen Family's future vengeance.

Furthermore, the Shen Family’s obvious panic suggested a massive scandal was hidden within the mine.

For the typically meticulous Shen Family, this was an unprecedented blunder and a once-in-a-lifetime chance for others to exploit.

In the middle of the pandemonium, no one noticed Mo Hua and his group quietly shedding their Shen Family Daoist robes. They changed into common attire, slipped into the moving crowd, and successfully reunited with the Taixu Sect group.

Xun Zixian pulled Mo Hua close, checking his pulse and meridians while staring intently into the boy's eyes. After confirming his safety several times, he finally let out a long sigh of relief.

"Are you unharmed?"

"Yes!" Mo Hua nodded.

Standing nearby, Xun Ziyou chimed in, "You should check me as well."

Xun Zixian completely ignored him.

"As long as you are safe. This isn't the place for conversation; we must withdraw immediately," Xun Zixian commanded.

"Aren't we going to stay and see what happens?" Mo Hua asked.

Xun Zixian shook his head. "The situation is far too volatile. We cannot linger here."

Furthermore, the ancestor’s direct order was to save the boy.

Now that Mo Hua was out of danger, nothing else mattered. The Shen Family’s internal crisis was a secondary concern.

Mo Hua nodded in agreement.

He still had the Great Wilderness Dragon Vein and Lord Yellow Mountain’s Lifebound Divine Statue in his possession.

Both were artifacts of immense importance.

He needed to return quickly to hide them properly and avoid any further complications.

The Shen Family’s defenses had been breached; the fallout could be left to the other aristocratic families and sects.

The more chaos they caused, the better...

Thus, Xun Zixian and the group of elders escorted Mo Hua and the others away from the Shen Family mine.

Just before they vanished from the area, Mo Hua glanced back at Solitary Mountain City, feeling a strange sense of dread.

He had a nagging suspicion that there were other hidden forces at work within Solitary Mountain City.

It was a sensation that felt incredibly dangerous to him...

And it felt terrifyingly vast...

"What could it possibly be..."

Mo Hua frowned and shook his head, pushing the thoughts aside as he followed the Taixu Sect elders away from the city.

...

Back inside the mine, the skirmish between the Shen Family and the rival cultivators intensified and spread.

The area was a theater of war, with cultivators locked in melee and volatile energy clashing in every direction.

Meanwhile, deep beneath Solitary Mountain City, inside the Divine Temple.

The great hall was in the process of a slow collapse. Debris rained down from the ceiling, and the floor was drenched in blood and littered with mangled remains.

In the midst of that horrific silence.

The deceased Shen Shouxing suddenly snapped his eyes open, and within them resided a void of absolute darkness.