Immortality Through Array Formations

Chapter 357 - 355 Formation Master_1

The loose cultivators delayed for some time, and Leader Yang had also caught up. His spear gleamed with golden light as he pierced through the left shoulder of the Kong Family Master.

The other loose cultivators, as if fighting with lives on the line, threw themselves at him, hacking away with one blade after another.

The Kong Family Master, a cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Stage, was thus hacked to death alive.

With the death of the Kong Family Master, the situation momentarily spiraled out of control.

Fury-filled loose cultivators stormed into the Kong Family residence, slaughtering anyone they encountered.

It took Leader Yang and the Taoist Soldiers a long while to regain control of the situation.

By then, the Kong Family residence had been reduced to rubble and ruin.

Almost all of the young and strong cultivators in the Kong Family were killed or injured, leaving only some elderly, women, and children, who were protected by the Taoist Soldiers, thus sparing their lives.

The loose cultivators who slaughtered the cultivators of the Kong Family gradually calmed down, but there was no trace of satisfaction from revenge on their faces, only numbness and painful tears.

Blood stained the white walls, and corpses littered the ground.

Seeing this scene, Leader Yang felt deeply shaken.

How many sins had the Kong Family committed to meet such a fate...

...

Mo Hua also felt a bitter taste upon hearing these events.

"How will this matter be handled?"

Mo Hua was somewhat worried for the loose cultivators of Qingxuan City.

"What else can be done?" Leader Yang sighed, "The law doesn’t punish the masses. Besides, such an incident is somewhat understandable. The Kong Family’s fate is deserved for their sins."

"The Taoist Court won’t make it hard for them anymore?"

The Taoist Court in Qingxuan City had colluded with the Kong Family, forming a clandestine alliance which allowed the Kong Family to act so recklessly.

Now that the Kong Family was gone, it wasn’t certain that the Taoist Court of Qingxuan City would let the matter rest.

"The Taoist Court?" Leader Yang scoffed, "They are in trouble themselves now."

Mo Hua’s eyes lit up, "The Taoist Court will investigate?"

Leader Yang nodded, "With the Kong Family’s defiance and the loose cultivators’ riot, adding on the account of the Kong Family’s collusion with Black Mountain Stronghold... Producing so much turmoil on their watch, the Taoist Court of Qingxuan City won’t escape unscathed."

"What will be their fate?" Mo Hua was curious and asked persistently.

Leader Yang said, "Generally speaking, if held accountable from above, the positions of Qingxuan City’s Court Leaders are surely untenable. If corruption and bribery, the abuse of law for personal gain are also uncovered, their lives might not even be spared."

"As for Supervisors or Enforcement Leaders below, their hands are inevitably dirty. More or less, they’ll have to face imprisonment."

Mo Hua nodded, now he felt more at ease. He then asked, "Have all the people in the Kong Family been killed?"

Leader Yang shook his head, "The young and able-bodied cultivators, and those with higher cultivation have all been killed. The loose cultivators bore too much resentment for the Taoist Soldiers to hold them back. Those who remain are just some of the old, the young, and women."

"They can no longer stay in Qingxuan City, so the Taoist Soldiers will arrange for them to make a living elsewhere. However, they will be stripped of the ’Kong’ surname, so the Kong Family is truly finished..."

Listening to this, Mo Hua felt an inexplicable sense of solemnity yet found it to be as it should be.

The greater the oppression, the more profound the backlash.

Clans that grow powerful by draining the blood of loose cultivators can collapse in a mere instant.

...

The Taoist Soldiers seized the Kong Family’s assets, and most of the spirit stones were transported to Tongxian City, prepared for the construction of the Large Formation.

The remaining spirit stones were distributed among the loose cultivators of Qingxuan City, so that their lives would not be so hard.

Mo Hua thought that would be the end of the matter, but a few days later, Ji Qingbai, along with Ji Li and Fu Lan, came knocking.

After seeing Mo Hua, Ji Qingbai expressed his gratitude:

"All the loose cultivators of Qingxuan City have asked me to extend their thanks to you."

Mo Hua quickly waved his hands, "I didn’t do much..."

Ji Qingbai shook his head and, calling Ji Li and Fu Lan over, they all gave a deep bow to Mo Hua.

Fu Lan’s eyes were red. Her father had died at the hands of the Kong Family when she was young, and she, with her mother, struggled to survive. Just as she had grown up, her mother was also driven to death by the Kong Family.

The Kong Family’s destruction now meant she had finally avenged them, albeit she regretted not being the one to exact vengeance personally.

Mo Hua could only sigh inwardly.

He hoped that from now on, whether in Tongxian City or Qingxuan City, such enmity and suffering would no longer exist.

Enough spirit stones were probably collected, and the only thing left was to find a Formation Master to help with the Drawing Formation.

As for the Formation Pivot of the Large Formation, Mo Hua could paint it himself, but for the numerous Single Formations under the control of the Formation Pivot, other Formation Masters would be needed to help.

Otherwise, building the Large Formation in two months’ time would be impossible.

Thinking of this, Mo Hua sighed.

Building a Large Formation was truly troublesome.

Gathering resources, recruiting manpower, coordinating various tasks... it all was time-consuming, labor-intensive, and challenging.

But even so, he still had to press on firmly, step by step...

For the matter of the Formation Masters, Mo Hua sought out Master Luo.

He was the most famous First Grade Formation Master in Tongxian City, with wide connections and influence. Among the Formation Masters of Tongxian City, he had the highest prestige and most authority.

Mo Hua paid him a visit and briefly explained the situation.

Master Luo looked hesitant, thought for a moment and finally said:

"I will convey Gentleman Little Mo’s intentions to all of Tongxian City’s Formation Masters, but whether they are willing to help will depend on their own decisions."

Master Luo expressed his apology, "Formation Masters hold a special status and are not subject to command. Though I have some reputation, I can’t force them."

Mo Hua understood this and bowed in gratitude: "Then I thank Master Luo for his efforts."

That Master Luo was willing to help was already good news.

When constructing a Large Formation, the most crucial part was the Formation Pivot; other Single Formations, as long as they were drawn to specification, were not too difficult, and didn’t require much from a Formation Master.

After everything was drawn, the main Formation Master would still need to verify everything and make adjustments.

The most difficult part would be undertaken by Mo Hua himself.

The rest of the Formation, as long as there were Formation Masters willing to lend a hand, would be sufficient.

After Mo Hua left, Master Luo gathered the Formation Masters of Tongxian City for tea and casually spoke about the Large Formation.

The younger Formation Masters were mostly excited, eager to participate in the construction of the Large Formation.

For many Formation Masters, being part of a Large Formation construction was a lifelong pursuit.

The elderly Formation Masters remained mostly silent, and after returning home, they scoffed at the idea.

"Too ignorant of how vast the world is..."

"A bunch of loose cultivators and low-level Formation Masters who aren’t even First Grade, and they dream of constructing a Large Formation? Such folly!"

Those Formation Masters, having lived long and seen much, naturally understood the difficulties in establishing a Large Formation—it was not something average Formation Masters could learn, nor something ordinary forces could accomplish.

At the same time, they also harbored envy towards Mo Hua.

These veteran Formation Masters had toiled for so many years, not only failing to become first-grade Formation Masters but even now, in terms of formation skills, they couldn’t compare to a Junior Formation Master who, at best, had studied formations for less than ten years.

They knew that Mo Hua was skilled at Formation Painting, but they also didn’t believe that Mo Hua could truly construct a Large Formation, harboring the thought of watching him fail:

"The child is naïve, getting carried away with his success!"

"He’s stepping too far, he’s bound to stumble..."

They dared not voice these thoughts aloud, but it didn’t prevent them from sneering inwardly.

In the end, about half of the Formation Masters in Tongxian City were willing to stay and help.

This ratio was a bit higher than what Master Luo had anticipated.

With so many Formation Masters, building the Large Formation should barely be possible, that is, if it really could be constructed...

Master Luo then grappled with another problem: should he stay?

He had already found a way out for himself.

The Third Grade Lanshan Sect from the Lanling State Boundary was willing to hire him as an Outer Gate Elder. Although it was just a provisional title, with Instructor salary, he would only truly receive Elder benefits once his Cultivation reached the Foundation Establishment Stage.

This offer couldn’t compare to the treatment Mo Hua received.

After all, whether in terms of formation skills, formation talent, or future formation prospects, he was not just a little behind Mo Hua.

But this way out was good enough.

Having the support of a big tree was pleasant; with Lanshan Sect as his backing, the latter half of his life, if not greatly ambitious, would at least be comfortable.

But was this really enough?

Didn’t he desire to build a first-grade Large Formation?

Master Luo questioned his own heart and found himself brought up short by his own question.

In the face of disaster, it’s human nature to seek advantage and avoid harm; finding an escape route for oneself was normal behavior.

But this was a first-grade Large Formation!

It could be his only chance in a lifetime to witness, even participate in, the construction of such a Formation.

Master Luo sighed.

Only Formation Masters knew how difficult it was to build a Large Formation.

Those older Formation Masters knew, and with his even older experience, he was all the more aware.

Not to mention how difficult it was to design the formation, finding a main Formation Master was a challenge.

The sheer volume of work for the Large Formation itself was also extremely vast.

Such large-scale Tao Cultivation construction projects are usually either directly orchestrated by the Taoist Court or constructed by deeply rooted Family Sects and Clans with a significant commitment of resources.

In any event, it had nothing to do with an ordinary first-grade Formation Master like himself.

He was completely out of his depth.

It was only because Mo Hua was organizing the construction of the Large Formation that they were called upon.

If it were the Taoist Court or Family Sects and Clans building the Large Formation, even if they offered Spirit Stones to chip in, they would just be giving a warm welcome to cold indifference—others simply wouldn’t spare them a glance.

Forget about helping Drawing Formations; even making a single stroke on the Large Formation was beyond their qualification.

Master Luo felt a sense of loss, but suddenly his heart leapt.

An opportunity now lay before him...

An opportunity to personally partake in the construction of a first-grade Large Formation!

If he were to miss it, he might never have hope for such a chance again in his lifetime.

Once youthful, upon becoming a Formation Master, the simple aspiration and passion had gradually resurrected from within his numb body.

Master Luo felt very unfamiliar with these emotions, yet joy welled up in him.

Still, he forced himself to calm down.

"Can this Large Formation really be completed?"

Master Luo believed in Mo Hua’s formation skills but still couldn’t believe he could design the core Formation Pivot of the Large Formation.

After all, Mo Hua was just too young.

Mo Hua couldn’t draw the Large Formation, yet he intended to construct one.

In that case, it meant that the Large Formation might not exactly be Mo Hua’s work, but rather that of the unfathomable Gentleman behind Mo Hua.

Master Luo let out a sigh of relief and began to feel reassured.

If that was the case, then there was great potential in this endeavor.

After some thought, Master Luo gradually understood.

Besides not wanting to show his face, perhaps that Gentleman also intended to "gild" his disciple.

To give Mo Hua a dazzling formation career achievement at a young age as the main builder of a first-grade Large Formation.

This was a common tactic among noble clans.

To elevate a direct descendant of the family, they would create momentum for him, letting others do the work while he reaped the credit, crafting the image of a ’favored son of heaven.’

Indeed, Family Sects and Clans harbored many such favored individuals, but among them, there were no few whose accomplishments were fabricated inflations of merit, empty names with little substance behind them.

Compared to them, Mo Hua was much superior.

At least in Master Luo’s view, Mo Hua’s formation skills had reached the ceiling for a first-grade Formation Master.

In time, it was indeed possible that he could, on his own merit, design a first-grade Large Formation.

Gilding him a little now was also normal.

After all, even fine wine fears a deep alley—being a Formation Master without a renowned name didn’t bode well for making one’s way in the world.

Thinking this through, Master Luo secretly made up his mind.

He would stay and help build the Large Formation.

Mo Hua was greatly surprised when he learned of it.

He thought that with opportunities on either side and an escape route available, Master Luo should have quietly slipped away; but unexpectedly, he chose to take the risk and stay.

"It seems I’ve underestimated Master Luo...",

Mo Hua nodded his head and looked at Master Luo with newfound respect.

With Master Luo staying, some wavering Formation Masters also decided to stay. Consequently, there were now many Formation Masters available to help.

Mo Hua breathed a sigh of relief.

With manpower and resources ready, and Spirit Stones gathered,

everything was ready for the start of the Five Elements Slaughter Demon Great Formation!