Immortality Through Array Formations Chapter 2065 - 984: Great Demon Hall (3)

Should he fail to make that crossing, a mere few hundred years would mark the end of his lifespan.

Furthermore, the heavens bring unforeseen twists, leaving mortals to suddenly confront disaster or unexpected fortune.

Should Mo Hua run into some unforeseen trouble, slip up by accident, or hit a wall in his cultivation progress, burning through his years until death claims him, it would be an utter tragedy.

Even in the best case, with his Dao destiny not yet spent, they could cross paths once more, though it might take dozens or even centuries.

Time flies by in a blur—what kind of person would Mo Hua have become by then?

Would he stay steadfast, pushing forward without wavering, or would trials twist him, shatter his core, drive him into deviation, and trap him in wild delusions? No one could say.

Existence is full of endless shifts.

It's truly rare and tough to find anyone who can hold firm to their Taoist Heart from beginning to end.

Elder Zheng mulled over these thoughts, a wave of unease washing over him, when he caught Mo Hua's words:

"Elder Zheng, the mountains tower high and the path stretches far—stay safe."

Mo Hua's tone rang out crisp and steady, his eyes shining with resolve and brimming with vibrant energy.

Captivated by that steady look in Mo Hua's eyes and swayed by some subtle allure he couldn't name, Elder Zheng felt his inner turmoil settle at once.

A gentle smile crossed his face as a storm of ideas churned in his mind, all boiling down to a heartfelt wish:

"Stay safe..."

Mo Hua offered a deep, respectful bow before turning away with lingering reluctance.

Elder Zheng lingered by the entrance, his gaze fixed on Mo Hua's fading figure.

Shadows had deepened; the night had fully arrived.

Elder Zheng remained at the doorway for what felt like ages.

He kept his eyes on Mo Hua throughout, as though watching the sole "spark" of light in this shadowed realm amid the encroaching darkness of night.

...

Having said goodbye to Elder Zheng, Mo Hua made his way back to the Taixu Gate, settling alone at the table in the Disciple’s Residence and fixing his stare on the dancing candle flame.

The elder's words lingered vividly in his mind.

"These so-called 'demons' don't spring from wombs or eggs—they transform into being..."

"The line between righteous and demonic stands sharp, yet at root, they stem from the same source."

"Great Demon Hall..."

Mo Hua caught a vague glimpse of the world's vast design and the "Dao" etched into every living being's Life Chart.

A sharp pang of pressure welled up inside him.

Mo Hua came to see that the situation could be far graver than he'd imagined.

On top of that, a darker suspicion crept into his thoughts.

"The Dao of Heaven takes from excess to aid the deficient; the Dao of Man strips from the needy to feed the abundant."

Immortality demands grasping the Heavenly Dao alone.

In that case, across this boundless realm, myriads of cultivators claim to seek the Dao and chase eternal life, yet they're truly treading a path in total opposition.

The Dao they're chasing isn't the Heavenly Dao in the slightest.

The immortality they're pursuing isn't the authentic kind at all.

A profound cold seized Mo Hua's heart.

In such a setup, to truly claim the Heavenly Dao and forge real immortality, he'd have no choice but to clash with the mightiest powers ruling the cultivation world.

The hurdles, the barriers, the brushes with death—just picturing them stole his breath.

And that might only be the start...

These are merely the outlines he can perceive.

Could there lurk even more fearsome forces, weaving deeper, older, and more intricate plots in the shadows around the dream of "immortality"?

A shiver of dread ran through Mo Hua as he sat in quiet reflection for a long stretch.

"Way too tough..."

Mo Hua let out a heavy breath, yet bit by bit, his eyes hardened with unyielding focus.

Tough is exactly as it should be.

Were immortality an easy feat, immortals would crowd the skies by now.

Its difficulty gives it worth chasing.

Its difficulty lets one prove their mettle.

Chasing ease and drifting with the current would just throw away the gifts of his Divine Way, squander the bond with his master, and turn his back on his parents plus every elder guide who's shaped him.

The night grew thick, the candle's glow wavered, mirroring star-like brilliance in Mo Hua's gaze.

"I have to grow incredibly powerful..."

...

The following day, Mo Hua dove back into cultivation, honing the Reversed Spirit Formation.

In spare moments, he delved deeply into the Divine Way insights shared by Lord Yellow Mountain, mapping out the path for his Divine Thought's growth.

For now, his body and Spiritual Power wouldn't see big leaps.

His array skills could sharpen, but haste wasn't called for.

Above all, the Divine Thought stood as the key to grasping formations and the Dao of Divine Sense—it was what he could truly boost.

Mo Hua's Divine Thought held solid power already, but it fell short of what he needed.

Above all in battling the Evil Embryo, Mo Hua felt deep frustration.

On the surface, the Evil Embryo lay slain, and victory was his.

Deep down, though, Mo Hua knew it wasn't a real triumph.

He'd spotted a weakness, wielding the Godslaying Sword to cleave the Evil Embryo from the Mountain Lord's divine corpse, sparking a rift within the Evil Embryo.

In the end, Lord Yellow Mountain unleashed Divine Skills to take the Evil Embryo down with him, freeing Mo Hua from that nightmarish trap.

Along the way, he'd leaned on aid from Solitary Mountain's resentful spirits and Fierce Ghosts too.

In essence, the Solitary Mountain clash was claimed through "connections" and "favor."

Those aligned with the Dao draw many allies; those against it stand alone.

Having backers meant his Dao rang true.

Yet Mo Hua grasped that relying on others wasn't ideal.

True victory shouldn't depend on outside help, and he hated how his fate in life-or-death hung on forces beyond him.

His Divine Thought needed to grow far mightier!

As Lord Yellow Mountain advised, the road to power lay in pressing on with the Divine Way, shattering "human" bounds so his Divine Thought could achieve deity-level "form transformation," solidifying into armor-like crystal.

Meanwhile, he planned to keep absorbing the Dragon Soul, testing if he could infuse his Divine Thought with its essence.

That might let him summon dragon scales, dragon claws, even don dragon armor.

His Divine Thought's might would soar even further.

Merging these paths, alongside refining formations, Divine Thought Taoism, and Heaven Yan Jue's twists, his Divine Sense could endlessly build power.

One day, potent enough to rip Evil Gods apart bare-handed.

Still, that aim felt a ways off.

And even then, it wouldn't fully suffice.

No matter the Divine Sense's strength, it stayed confined to battles in the Divine Thought Void Realm.

The physical world craved its own brand of killing force.

Mo Hua already harbored plans for that.

This was the technique he'd mulled over and drilled repeatedly in the past, only to falter since his Divine Sense hadn't hit Twenty Patterns for the "God-slaying" Out-of-body Technique.

Now, with his Divine Sense forming a Core, he qualified to attempt it anew.

By forging the Tai Xu God-Slaying Sword from Divine Thought and launching it via the ocular aperture, he'd blur the line between real and illusory, enabling Divine Thought Slaughter.

With a blade born in the Sea of Consciousness, he'd strike down bodily foes in the tangible realm.