Immortality Through Array Formations Chapter 2167 Chapter 1017: Underworld (Part 2)

While the disciples grew increasingly worried, a green-robed cultivator rushed in from the entrance, bowed deeply with clasped hands, and declared: "Chief Elder."

Great Elder Zhang shot him a quick look and inquired, "Where have you been?"

Zhang Lan lowered his hands and replied, "I went to see a... Taoist Friend..."

Great Elder Zhang, lost in his concerns, didn't dwell on it and simply dismissed him with a wave, "Fine, just return sooner next time to prevent any issues."

"Yes." Zhang Lan let out a relieved breath.

Following that, the group scattered and headed back to their quarters for some rest.

Great Elder Zhang went to his own chamber, attempted to meditate and relax, but his thoughts wouldn't settle, so he rose, settled at the desk, ignited a candle, and started examining old tomes and fragmented jade slips, hunting for some insight.

Yet the "Underworld" calamity remains elusive in truth and fiction, its mentions buried in obscure ancient writings, scarce and enigmatic.

Great Elder Zhang pored over the volumes yet found scant progress, unable to trace its roots, let alone discover a way to contain it, prompting a heavy sigh and a quiet murmur to himself:

"Let our forebears shield us, and may this trip to Qianxue uncover hints to curb the 'Underworld' and avert the doom looming over Kan State..."

Still, he realized the chances were slim indeed.

Great Elder Zhang shook his head and pressed on with his reading and reflection. But the deeper he delved, the more his mind grew weary and tangled.

In that instant, memories of the day's Sword Discussion Conference flashed unbidden into his thoughts.

Upon the illusory scroll, that silhouette moved like a startled swan or a coiling dragon, weaving effortlessly through the relentless sword glow from the Feng family's prodigy, gliding in and out as smoothly as a stream, untouched by even the edge of a blade...

His name lingered sharply in Great Elder Zhang's memory:

Mo Hua.

Great Elder Zhang paused in surprise, didn't probe further, but a wave of respect washed over him:

"Indeed a prodigy of Qianxue, this young lad boasts unmatched elegance, his footwork outshining even the Feng clan's elites from the Carefree Sect—truly astonishing..."

His footwork stood out especially.

Great Elder Zhang had reached the Feather Transformation stage, and his clan passed down movement arts through generations.

He discerned more clearly than most the remarkable nuances and the fluid grace in Mo Hua's water-based body technique.

A technique so refined demanded years of rigorous practice and immense dedication to perfect.

Exceptional talent, sharp insight, relentless effort, and a superb movement skill.

"What a youthful talent—if only he were a true heir to my Zhang Family, that would be marvelous..."

Even Great Elder Zhang harbored a strong longing for such promise, filled with profound envy.

But after that fleeting jealousy, he abruptly stilled once more.

The words Elder Feng had spoken that day echoed in his mind.

Now, under the cover of night, Great Elder Zhang steadied his mind and mentally replayed the vision of Mo Hua's footwork again and again.

Each motion, he scrutinized with care.

Every step, he analyzed intently.

In any pursuit, true diligence brings clarity.

Even more so through deep contemplation.

Great Elder Zhang reviewed and dissected it dozens of times at least, then drew in a sharp breath:

"This boy's footwork... it bears a striking similarity to my Zhang Family's Water Passing Step?"

Yet he executed it with such mastery.

Far more polished than any Zhang family disciple.

And certain maneuvers, finely tuned by potent Divine Sense, exceeded what typical cultivators could manage.

Furthermore, it blended in elements from various other complex movement arts.

On top of that, hints of ethereal water mist appeared.

Thus, an initial view made it tough to recognize.

However, Great Elder Zhang broke down the footwork imagery, fragmented it, and examined it repeatedly, at last spotting orthodox traces of the Water Passing Step hidden inside.

"But... this can't be..."

"How could a genius from Taixu Gate, with no close ties to us, have mastered the Zhang Family's closely guarded secret art, the Water Passing Step, never shared outside?"

Great Elder Zhang furrowed his brow in bewilderment.

"It doesn't add up..."

"Could it be that someone in my Zhang Family truly defied the ancestral rules?"

Great Elder Zhang's eyes slowly sharpened with menace.

...

Next door.

Zhang Lan, sprawled out in idleness, suddenly sensed a cold shiver creep up, his heart racing furiously, nearly leaping to his feet.

"Is danger afoot?"

Zhang Lan's expression shifted in alarm, but as he surveyed the peaceful night surrounding him, the calm moonlight spilling through the window with nothing amiss, he finally relaxed a bit, pondering what might have triggered it.

"That kid Mo Hua carries some peril."

"He's drawing a lot of resentment right now."

"Maybe because I spoke with Mo Hua today, while he was drawing ire from others, it rubbed off on me..."

Zhang Lan nodded, thinking it rang true, then slumped back lazily.

But this time, sleep came with a nagging unease.

...

Taixu Gate.

Elder Master Xun found sleep elusive as well.

At the Qian Learning State Boundary's Sword Discussion Conference, ancestors rarely showed themselves, but that didn't spare him from handling the hidden burdens.

Ever since the conference began, undercurrents of unrest had swirled across the Qian Learning State Boundary, with tangled affairs piling up, and he, as the sect's elder, hadn't enjoyed real rest in ages.

And presently, the thorniest problem weighing on him was Mo Hua.

The unfolding events had veered beyond his predictions.

He never foresaw that Mo Hua, with his "striking" looks, would stir up such widespread ill will.

Merely employing simple beginner-level Five Elements Spells had left a horde of sect prodigies seething with grudge against him.

Across countless Sword Discussion Conferences and myriad sword prodigies, Mo Hua had carved out a one-of-a-kind notoriety.

This was a twist Elder Master Xun had genuinely not expected.

What's more, the circumstances were spiraling toward something harder to rein in.

Elder Master Xun knit his brows, and after a prolonged silence, he couldn't suppress a sigh:

"Perhaps... this is destiny?"

Long ago, that youth named "Zhuang" possessed equally dazzling aptitude, boldly eclipsing everyone, inciting envy from foes all around, ultimately surrounded by adversaries everywhere.